WIW'
M.L,
977.6
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1825708
RKYWOLDf^ -RTCTORICAL
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
'Go
mmim
31833 01053 1934
H 1 3 ^r O R Y
Ot- THE
Wels h i n Minnesota
I'brcston ami Lime Spring's, la.
GATHERED BY THE OLD SETTLERS. •'
EDITKlJ BY
REVS. Thos. e. Hughus anu David Edwards, and MtssRS,
Hugh g. roelf^ts and TficwAs Hughhs.
J I^ I^ 1^1 Sa^ ^^^ .A. T E D.
1825708
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Rev. Daniel VViiliams.
Rev. J. T. Evans.
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J. W. Williams
Wm. E. Williams.
MINNEM'Ol.TS.
AUTHORS AND EDITORS OF THIS BOOK.
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Thos. Hughes
Evan Hughes.
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Rev. Thos. E. Hughes.
COUKTLAM) MIW.
I^ev. David Edwards.
LAKE CRYSTAL, MINN.
AUTHORS AND EDITORS OF THIS BOOK.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PACK.
Bible Societies of Blue Earth and Le Sueur Counties, or<,'-an-
ized ■+'^>
Biographies 15'J
Blue Earth County, ()r!,'-ani/;ation of 19
Location of Welsh Settlements in 1
" " " Climate, Siiil and Productiims 5
" " " Aborig-ines of f)
" " " Earl}' Discoveries 10
Butternut Valley, First Settlers of 32
" " Org-anization 48
Cambria, Org-anization of 48
Emmet, Wis., Colony from 27
Eureka, First Settlers 32
Foreston, Location of 14u
Horeb Church ( )rganize(l 43
" Neig-hborhood, P'irst Settlers 34
Jackson, O., Colony from 3'»
Inkpadoota War 50
Judson, First Settlers 24
" Organized 42
Jerusalem Church Organized 56
LeSueur, Firvt Welsh Settlers of U.
" Saron Church 44
Elim Church (.0
Mankato, First Settlement of 12
Minneapolis, Welsh I'eoplo of 121
Welsh Church of 133
Lime Springs, Early Settlers 141
Accidents 14S
" " Prominent Men of 152
Churches (d' 154
Music, Interest of Welsh in Ill
Politics, " 113
j TABLE OF CONTKXTS. 111.
i
i Seion Church, Orij^anizcil 45
I Salem Congrc'jationiil Church Organized 35
St. Paul, First Welsh Settlers 13
Soldiers of the Rebellion, Welsh IK.
South Bend, First Settlers of 17
South Bend Church, Or<,'-anized 28
j Sioux War, Causes of 01
j " " Commencement of f>4
I Redwood Ferrv (>9
Ft. Rid-ely..." 80
iiT -n iii c I New Ulm S3
I Sioux War, Battles of , ^.^^^^ ^,,,,,,^.^. ,„,
i Wood Lake 10'»
I I Attack on Butternut \'alley lt>3
I' The Sinux and their Names of Places 2'M
.' , ,. I Additional Account of Sioux War 2'»C>
; Appendix , j,^^,^. i^^.,„i„i,,,n,,, 302
[ Statistical Table of Churches
preface.
. r^N June 1.". 1S')4, the Welsh people of Blue Earth and Lc
i.//l Sueur e'cunties held an '•Okl Settlers Mectin;,'-" at Lake
Crvstal, Minn. It was decided to print, in pamphlet
form, the papers presented at this meetinuf, antl an edi-
torial board was appointed, eonsistin^'- of Kev. Thos. E. IIu!,>-hes,
of Courtland. Minn.; Kev. David Edwards, ui I^ake Crvstal,
Minn.; Ilu.udi (r. Koherts and Tlios. ilui,'-i,cs. of Mardcat,., Minn.
When the material was (fathered, there was enoug-h to warrant
printing- it in book form. It was then decided to invite all the
Welsh of the State to unite in the book, and as the settlement
of Fillmore Countv dii)ped over into Iowa, rather than divide
this settlement into two p.arts, Eoreston and Lime Sprini,'-s, la.,
were included in the invitation. Evervwiiere the editors have
met with the most re;i<lv and hearty co-operation. There has
been no croakini^-or iiidi iTerence on the jiartof anvbody, but this
book is the product of the combined, uniteil effort (d' all our
Welsh people, and our I^n.i,'-lish friends have been just as ready
with their help whenever asked. Much prominence is .<,riven to
the Sioux massacre, because of its importance in the experience
of our Welsh pioneers. No other Welsh settlements in xVmerica
had such an experience. The history, however, is written from
a Welsh standpoint. The work has expanded to more than
double the size orig-inally intended, and. as the material for this
expansion was gathered and arrang-ed since the tirst manu-
scripts were given to the ]>rinter, it necessitated much haste in
preparation. The article on the Indian massacre went beyond
the limit assigned, after all, and we were obliged to ]dace the
concluding- pages in the ai>pendi\. The l)i<igri<phies were
■written by various ])ersons, and hence there is no exact unifor-
mity cither in style or length. Lack of space, however, com-
pelled us to cut many of them down. In printing, the biogra-
phies of Kev. John Moses, Kev. Kichard F. Jones, Dr. John
Williams, Owen E. Kicliards and David J. Jones were in-
advertantly over-looked, so they will he found at the end
of the otlier hioLrrajihies. A few mistakes are noted in the
Errata, otliers niav occur to tlie reader, for our hook is not
infallihlo.
We hope, however, it will serve the j'urpose of introduciuLT
our people one to the other and more than all preserve to pos-
terity the deeds n{ our n.il.le, stunly Welsh i.ioneers. To all
the friends, who have so kindly and i^^enerouslv aided us in the
work we extend our heartiest thanks. Edituks.
ERRATA.
Page .•!!), Twelfth line read -Jdlni Francis'- instead of John Griflitlis.
Page ti4, Twii lines frnm l)iit.t,iirii n.'acl '•niurfleroiis" instead of inuriiiunuis
Pajre 7,s, Eit;liteen lines from liMt.t.oni read ■'.loiin U. lloljerts" inst,e;id of
liev. John W. K.)l)erts.
Page 112, in list of Cornet I'.nrnl read •i'.e/./.ulecl Jones" instciirl of James
Page li:., Seven lines from lop read ■•Jas. A. J.itnrN' In-trad of Jas II
Page 141, Twelve lines from linttnni read --N. West ' instead of \ Kast
Page K;;!, Next to last line, Dackins Hio^;.. read "Is'j )■ m-icail of Iss.,
Page 1!)2, ^'cxt to last line, J. T. K^aiis- Hi(,g , read "poetieal" instead of
political.
Page 1!U, Nextto last line, Hr. (). .1. Kvans' i;iog , read -l^s:," instead of
Page 200, Fourtii line from top read ••l^ii/alietlf instead of Margaret
Page 23(1, Seventh line frnm licitmn read •■.Mont^'cimiT\ ' Uistead of Mer-
ioneth.
Page 2.">7, read "I'ryse" instead of rryec.
Name under first portniit, ptige E— 141. should he I'.ev. Daniel T Kow-
lands.
Name under first portrait, pane K-2.".2, slionid he Lewis .1 Lewis
Name under fourth portrait, paL'.> K-iuu. <lnn\U\ he T. Wynne Jones.
Names under two Hrst, pi. rtrail- s| in !„• Ilut;li \V. Willianjs
I'age liy. Strike outliisi- s,;niriu-,.oi c. !■:. lia^vis's liio^iraphy and ins^'t:
'■P.orn at Trelmien. near ( Kw-trv, Slinip-jin ,.. Ltiixland, J ly
0, is4li. .Son of Edward .inil i;h/al„lli iMvi- ■
Page 20G. Strikeout lirst senlencr in liirMrapli\ ot .lulm (;. loibertsaiid
insert: ■'Hdrii near Kiimston. W is.', in (.rrm Lake eoiinty,
in isiil. Kemoved with his parciiistd l;ri-.tol, Liimore C.i.."
Minn., in l.siiT." Afid also: ••His f.itlier w.is liorri in Sah-
sarna, Merionethshire, and enii<.'r:Ucd U> .\iim rira in Isfs. his
mother, whosi> maiden name was Cuhcniie .Imir^. was l,(,rn
at Corris, in the same shire, whence she emiL'r.itrd in 1-1.;.
They were married in |s.-,:;. .),,hn was m.arried in Issm,, mjss
Ilertlia lloherts. '
The biography of Dr. .lolin Williams will be found on p;ige E-:!0().
PORTRAITS.
Baxter J T
B1..S.
>m Mr Vlic
Bljtl
m ( J
Howe
11 Mr in ' ^
Tli«=, L
Djni n
BDinr.r.i Kiel K
<h(
ire ]-,nc
Back
IIS Dull
Daniel R 1
r R
Bavi
Cli .-, I
Hon t K
C W
Dan. IT
D J (L.m
D J ( 1
Davi I ^
D.v. n
Davil \
Dr L J
t%an I
Mr Tin
John I
Mr in 1 M
7(1 11 'J
Rev PlUi
Re^ Ricld
TlK- \
Wni
Sr W W
Jr Win W
3dw
rd R ^ 1) I
Hni,li
Hu.,l,H
Jdnci
Jll.U
m
Evans
Evan (Pant
279
.2115
Evan H
HUKh
Rp\ Josliu
.161
Mr HulMr
Re^ Wm E
\\ J
Griffitl
= JmiLS
Jol.u J
Harris
D.U..1 L
D n id L
Howel
D P
R R
Huel.es. Byron and Wm.F...
Mr and Mr, David
•'
Evan
.Front
Mr and Mr» Uenrj
Mi-i Jonnit
Rtv Riclnrd
RolK rt L
Ho„ K H
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K W
Tl.o,
ll.n, cttorn.j)
-Front
R. V Tl.o, >
.Front
R V D E
D H (St I ...1
Mr aul Mr, D H
liiv J I.I \
J..lin (
R>v JoIidC
"
Rev Ji.hn K
John I
"
John !
"
Hon J N
John K
.,.
Le^^l-. P
Ricliiirl
"
Ruharl I
Rev R.rh.ri
Riv Rul .r,l
Rev H (, '-I
Rev Rich iril
-'
Rev T (, (Ti
Tlios
T W^nne
V,w
Rev Wm V
"
\\m L
'•
Wm H
"
V,m I
"
Rev Wm M ic
Hon \\ni P
'•
Uon \\>ii K
"
\ D
Joseph Kcv Y l^^^^i
Lewis, (Tnfiitli /
"
Lcni, D
"
Jr,Li«i-
LevMs J
"
Morns
Mr» Morn-,
Hon Rich.rd
'
Rev T H
"
Mr and Mr- \
"
Wm R
"
\\m T
Uovd J,l)cz
"
Hon Job
John
Pelor
Woic
n Kn I.hnW
Moirj
- Uni 1 ^ in I.
'^r 0«<n
"
Jr Hon 0«,
Rev On n R
'
Prof J.^hn R
M09C.
R V ;■ hn
Ow.n
John J
John L
"
Maj J P
John R
"
R J
Thos
Parrj
1v .n
H.nrj I
John )[
Perccnn I. ^ P
Price
Janw- I)
PORTRAITS
Price. RoTClanil\
...l-'l
• Rev. R D.
...HI
Pritchar.l.Owen.
. .-ir;;
Prvse. Kev. J. M .
.i-jr
Pu.'h.DavUl
.. JU
• Hon. T. M
. . . ::'■>:;
R'-^.-Johu
.. . ;?
■ Timothy..
...3-J6
Richarii-. Onvn I
...liil
•• JohnK...
..iiii
•• Thos. J....
...IK
Robert.. Mr.^..\m
...2.-6
•• Rev. GriHi
.. rj
•• Harlan P.
..2!.5
•• Hntrli (i...
.. ;«
'■ Humphrey
. . ij7
Rev. Jo^ep
.. :.u
•■ JohnG...
Row 1 1
'-hi. 1 I
Tho,;. P
rs. D.ivii
StepI
™
Hon, I
ieharil
Mrs. K
ch;ir<l
Rev.
Daniel..'.
Davi
i.T. (Bradford
Dav
dJ
E. B
Evan
nritllth
Hoc
\V
Dr. J
ilm
Rev.
JohnD
John
Fletcher
John
T
John
\V .'
Mr. a
nd Mrs. John J
Ower
K
Thos
U
Dr. l
. (i
Rev.
\Vm
Win.
E
Key to Lake Crystal Welsh Business Men.— Page 3.
Wm. H. RoLert-.
Davi.l I'r.ce
HfDry
'. R
o.la
Ja.
i.ls.
. W. Lowi<. Wm. Jonos.
Kohc-rt (i. R„h.,rts. \\,n. Jonkins.
Dr. Jolm Williams. J. E.lwiu Rowlands
Edward F.Jiukii
Wm. Ow
"l.
Davi
An
,urT. Pritcl.anl, T. Rt-eso.
Dauifl T. UwoQ.. R. C. RnhPrt..
Dauifl Edwards. V/. C. Davi=.
ADDITIONAL ERATTA.
Page 7S. the number of the South Bend company when it arrived at New Ulm
was 73, and 10 of them remained and took part in the battle of .Vus. 23.
Page 303. to the list of Welshmen who went to New Ulm in this company add:
lames Edwards, Sr.. Lewis D. Lewis. Wm. R. Lesvis, David J. Davis,
Jr., Wm. E. Davis, James Morgan and Wm. P. Jones. Read "D. C.
Evans" as first lieutenant, instead of "Jehile Cheney," and "Jehile
Cheney" as second lieutenant, instead of "M. Porter."
Page 197, in J. [. Griffiths' biography, before words ''selling his farm at Colum-
bus," insert. "His first wife died in Januarv, 1S62, and October 15, 1SG7,
he married near Columbus, Wis., Miss Elizabeth, daughter of William
Richards, who was born near Dol<.^eIly, Wales, in March, 1830, and emi-
grated in 1S40, with her parents, to Newport, N. Y., and thence to Col-
umbus, Wis., in 1S05."
Page no. Sixteen lines from the bottom re.id 1S66 instead of iS,S6.
Page 23G, in Kev. Wm. M Jones' biography, second line, read "Carnarvonshire"
instead of "Anglesea," and in line thirteen after "Snowdcn" insert: "In
April, 1S67, he emigrated to Cambria, Wis."
Page 266, in first sentence of Kev. Joseph Roberts' biography read "Carnarvonshire"
instead of ".\nglesea."
Page 254, in biography of Rev. Wm. Powell, read. 1S68 instead of 1S63, as date
of marriage, 1S73 instead of 1S72, as date of going to Picatonica, and
Lewis M., instead of Willie as name ot youngest child.
Page iS, line 3, read "1S42" instead of "1S52 "
Page 23, line 30 read "Gwyliedydd" instead of "Dysgedydd."
Page 51, line 14, read "Wm. F. Lewis' instead of "John F. .Meagher."
Page 117, line 20, read "Wm. T. Jones" instead of "Wm. F. Jones."
Page 191, last line, read "M.iry" instead of "Elizabeth" Jones.
Page 216, read "Robert" as father of Evan Jones instead of "John."
Page 227, line to, read "1S4.S" insteail ot "183,^ "
Page 251, line 33, read "Owens ' instead of "Evans."
Page 233, omit "traveling" from third line from bottom.
Page 234, line 4, read "St. Paul and Minneapolis ' instead of "Northwest."
History of the Welsh in Minnesota,
BV THUS. .iu;ghes, 1-;;
INTRODUCTION.
^""IIlv Minnesota river, risin-- near the western Ixuindarv of
((^ the State to wliieh it -"ives its name. Hows, for the first
^T hundred miles of its joiirnev, in a southeasterly direction,
when it makes an ahrupt bend to the northeast, and,
after followinn' that course another hundred miles, empties into
the Mississippi at tlie eastern houndarv of the State. "Minne-
sota" was the ancient Indi.an name of the river, atid is deri\-ed
from two Dakotah words -■■ .l//////c\" •■water;" and -Wo/ci//," lit-
erally meanins;- "bleared," thou-li variously translated "muddy."
"cloudy," and "sky-tinted." The word has reference to the pe-
culiar appearance of the river, caused by minute particles of
bluish clay mino-lini,'- with the water, so that it does not seem
muddy nor yet clear, but "hazv" or "bleared."
The valley, in which the river flows, is from a mile to a
mile and a half in breadth, and. on either sjile of the great l)end,
quite strai^rht— like the tw,i sides (d' an .an-de. Standini,r upon
the bluff at the "V" of the bi- bend one may l,,ok up the valley
to the northwest or down the valley to the northeast, a distance
of forty or fifty miles.
What a majjrnificent view it is. with the cone-shaped bluffs
risiu','- in woody terraces on either side of the valley nearly two
hundred feet in lieit^ht. now op^nin-- into a urand amphitheater,
enclosing- an oasis of three or b.ur miles of botl.mi prairie, and
2 THE WKT.SH IX MINNESOTA.
now closing'- intu a few miles ni skHiI timber. (.)ccasi<)nall_v mie
catches a ^iimpse of the fixer's silvery chain ;is it meanders
around one of its many curves ; lur. th(iui;-h the \alK'\- be straii^iit,
the river is exccedinirly cmnkeil, turniii-' and twisting-, and .d'ten
almost doubliiiL;- uikpu its path as th()Ui,'-h it fain would loiter in its
level}- valley. For the must jiart the river huyfs its northern
bluff, leaving- must ol' the bottom-lands on its southern side.
The low, Hat-lands, in times. .1' u^reat freshets, are overtlowed.
while, what is known as the ••bench." which rises about twenty
feet from the low lands, is very stonv, s^ that the valley is but
little used for airriculture. It is aot. Imwever. on that account
less valuable, for in its prairie bottom-lands are f(iun<l the finest
meadows of wild hay in the country. Clay, for the manufacture
of brick, drain-tile, ami ]iotterv-ware, is founil, also, in ine^c-
hatistible ([uantities: while.the mcky second bench is full ni im-
mense (quarries of the finest l>uilding' stone, lime, and hydraulic
cement.
The valley is dotted with many villa?.;-es and cities; .and. in
the palmy days of steamboatiny. the river banks nn either side
were lined with town sites, which mig-ht ha\-e been .great cities,
had the fates been more propitious.
At our feet, at the great l^end of the river, lies Mankato, the
principal cit}- of Southern Minnesota. Three miles higher up
the bend are the ruins of its ancient rival — the village of South
Bend ; ten miles higlur up. on opposite sidesof the ri\'er, are the
town sites of Juds(jn and Eureka. I^ut these cities are now no
more; fifteen miles still farther up is the pretty (ierman city of
New Ulm. Below Mankato seven miles is the old village ofKa-
sota with its famous stone quarries ; five miles farther is the city
of St. Peter; two miles beyond is the site of Traverse de
Sioux, once the metrojiolis of the Minnesot;i valley, but now en-
tirely deserted ; about a mile f:irther we ci me to Ottawa, and
six miles more and we reach Le Sueur; while at the junction
of the Minnesota with the Mississippi lie the great twin cities
of St. Paul and Minneap. .lis.
At the great bend id' the Minnesota there empties into it
from the south, between Mankato and South IJend, the Hlue
Earth river. Its n:nue is a translation of its Indian appellation,
"Mahkahto," given it by reason of .1 peculiar \>cd ..f clay of .1
bluish or greenish color, found on the river about three miles
ab(.ive its mouth, which clay id' idd h;ul great f;ime amony- the
aborigines as a ]ii-ment for decor;iting their l)(idies. The river,
with its many tributaries, br;inching out like a spreading oak.
{■■: _
m
^ '-^ :
THK WELSH IN MIXNICSOTA. .->
drains the countv "i IJluf ICarlh 'Plu-sc many rivers, with llieir
countless l^mnk^ and rills, eaeh hcirdered with its winding- chain
of timber, and with the myriad lakes, many of which are dain-
tily set in yroves id' oak and po]ilar, cause<l the naturalist, Nic-
ollet, who, in :s.;s, visiteil the country, to name it the --rndine
Reg-ion," after the water nymph of the famous (lerman Ro-
mance. On the eastern ban . of the JJlue I'^artli lies tlie yreat
forest, stretchini,'- fifty miles in leni,^th by from twenty to forty
miles in breatlth, known as the •■li'vj; Woods." This irreat body
of timber has been protected during the centuries from the de-
structive-prairie tires, which almost every autumn used to sweep
across the plains, bv the Minnesota river (m the north, the Can-
non and Straii,'-ht rivers on the east, the Le Sueur river on the
south, and tlie I'Aiw Karth river on the west. On the western
side of the Blue Ivirth bei,'-ins the ^rreat plain, which stretches
over grassy knoll and reedy lake in a boundless ocean of rolling-
prairie as far as the Kocky Mountains.
The portion (d this vast country with which we shall have
to do particularly is that occupied l)y the Welsh Settlements.
The largest and one .d the cddest.d' which is that of I'.lue Earth
County, comprising a strip six miles wide. extending northwesterly
along the right bank of the Minnesota river, a distance of twenty
miles. Itend)races the townships of South IJend on the east. Jud-
son in the center, and the northeasterly half of IJutlernut \'allev
and the fractional town of Cambria on the west. Its western end
also dips over a little into Cottonwooil township, llrown Co. A
few Welsh reside in the small village of Curtland. on the oppo-
site side of the Minnesota river from Cambria; ipiite a numln^-r
reside at the much larger village of Lake Crystal, situated on
the southern boundry of Judson : anil a still greater number
dwell in the city of Mankato. There is also a branch of the set-
tlement twenty miles northeast of Mankato, in Le Sueur county,
near the village cd' Ottawa, known from the great timber tract in
which it is situated as the '-Lig Woods" settlement.
Another branch of the lilue Karth county settlement is lo-
cated on the head waters of the Big Cottonwood sixty miles to
the west, formerly known as Saratoga, but now called Tracy and
Custer, while about 2,0(li) Welsh j.eople reside in St. Paul and
Minneapolis. Sixty miles to the southeast of Mankato lie three
other tlourishiuL;- Welsh settlements, at the he:ul waters .d" the
Iowa river, partly in Minnesota and partly in T<iwa, and known
as Bristol Crove, I-'oreston and Lime Springs.
In the Blue Earth Countv settlement, on the southern
'! '^
^^ .': -s
;-i
THE WJCLSH IN MINNI'.SOTA. ?,
boundary of South IkmhI and Judsoii, there is a chain ni five
larg-e lakes, beautifully en\-ironed by ij:roves of timber, and
on the banks uf one of which is jileasantly situated the
villag-e of Lake Crystal. Tlie outlet .d' these lakes is a
sparklinj^ little fir<iok which Hows in a northeasterly direction
throug-h the towns cd' Judson and Soutli IJend into the Minnesota
river. It is called by its Indian name -'Minneoiia,"' from
•■'Minur" "water," and "////av/,/." "<d' two falls." These falls
are situated about half way U]i the stream, and one is ten, and
the other, just below it. nearly lifty feet in hei-,--!!!. Stories are
t(dd how the Indian braves used t.. sho..t over both falls in their
li^-ht, frail canoes, and land ri.<.rht-si(K- ujv in tin- biamiui;- waters
below. In a cave under the larLjer falls dwelt in the early days
the brave chief San-tuhu-mah-na-du-tali. ••]Iater-(.f-the-white-
tradition tells. At the tiniecd the Inki.adootah war the .dd chief
went to Spirit Lake, and from there, i^obably. to the siuril land,
as he was ne\'er luard of afterwards.
Through the middle <d' Cambria township flows Candiria
creek, and throui,'-h its northwestern corner runs the Little Cot-
tonwood, both emptyiuLT into the Minnesota. Tile Little Cot-
tonwood is so called to distinguish it from the LIlt Cottonwoo,],
a larj^'-er river emptyini,'- into the Minnes(.ta six miles aboxe in
the vicinitv of New Llm. --Cottonwood" is the Lni^lish word
for "Waraju," the ,dd Indian name of these rivers.
Bordered thus, north and ea-.t. by tlie two lari^re rivers, the
Minnesota and the Due Ivirth. with their ch.irminu- valleys and
belts of wood : traversed by so many bro(d<s and rills with their
spurs of timber juttini:: out across the threat roHinif prairie; be-
spang-led with so many lovely lakes and pleasant groxes, the
Welsh Settlement of the Minnesota valley is the most delig-htful
spot in all this charming Undine Keg-ion.
CI.IMATi;, SDH.. AND l'K( II iFCTK iX.
The Dakotah Indi.ms believed that the nioutli of the Minne-
sota river stood directly over the center of the earth. Nor was
this traditicmal fancv of the untutored savage much at variance
with the more exact knowledge n[ modern geography. The sur-
veyor's chain designates Minnesota as the cqui-distant point be-
tween the g-reat oceans; wliile the ri\ers, radiating northward,
southward, eastward, westward, also mark it ;is the very top of
the great dome (d^ the American continent. Tiiis high latitude
and altitude render the winters at times necessarily cold and long".
() THE wi;r.sir ix mixxi;=ota.
while the tlisUmee fnun the sea eaiises the atninsjihcre to he ex-
ceptionally dry and jiure. A severe winter closes in ahout the
last of Xoveinlier. and continues without any ^Teat relaxation
of its rii^n.r until about the last of March. There is an occa-
sional hlizzard from the northwest. The d^epth <d' snow is fr<!ni
one to two feet all winter, and tlu- mercury ranires from zero to
twenty or thirty tlei;-rees lielow ; hut in the dry. crisp air of Min-
nesota one does not ieel the cold at thirty helow. more than he
would at zero in the more humid atmosphere >>i the sea coast.
The severe winters, however, tio not occur re^'ularlv every year.
Half the time the winters are mild and open, with little, if any.
snow. These open winters, thoui.;-h. are not nearly as healthy
as the others. There is a tonic in a steady, cold Minnesota win-
ter, which braces up (me's wliole constitution, which purities the
atmosphere, and which seems vven to impart fresh viLi'or to the
soil. The summer months of June, July and AuL^ustare usually
ver}' warm, the tcmjierature often y-ettin;,'- as hi^h as So, 'in and
sometimes e\en loo dei,>-reis in the shade. Its loui,'-, mai^-nili-
cent autumns are. however, Minnesota's pride. The tempera-
ture so pleasant and uniform, the ski^s so clear and sunny, and
nature so ^ori;-e<iusly rich in .all her attire, that the days are a
succession of delights.
The soil is a dark, rich loam, fnnn a foot and a half to two
and three feet in de]ith, with a clayey bottom. It produced in
its natural state a most luxuriant L;-rowth of ^rass, taller than
one's head, and which <'veti to this day constitutes the principal
pasturai,''e and hav me;ulo\ys of the land.
The chief a^-ricultural jiroduct has been wheat, which used
to yield front twenty to thirty-fne bushels ]>er acre on the aver-
age. Of late years the land has become somewhat exhausted
from constant wheat raising-, and the farmers are turnini,'- their
attention more to dairying", stock r.aisinu-, ;md diversilied farm-
ing, with a success more sure ;ind substantial than under the
old dispensation of universal wheat fields. Corn, oats, barley,
sorglium, and pot.itoes are i^Town abundantly. Wild idums,
grapes, gooseberries, currants, strawberries, and raspberries are
very plenty, and their tame cousins are also easily cultivated.
Hardy kinds of apples .are lil<ewise n'rown successfully.
The timber of the country comprises oak. elm, basswood,
maple, butternut, hickory, popl.ar, and in the valleys, black wal-
nut and Cottonwood.
Ai;(iixie,ixi:s.
This country was the ancient home of the Sisseton bands of
THE WKLSII IX .-MIXNKStJTA. 7
the powerful Sicux or Ihikota nati.in. Their vilhi-es were situ-
ated at Traverse-I).'-Si.,ux. at Swan Lake. ( Merra"~li Tauka ., at
the mouth of the i;i-- Cottonwo,,,!. and in Judson. just iK-l.^w'the
residence of Henry Kol.crts. Ks.j.. on the Minnesota river.
Of those the principal .nie was that at Swan Lake, under
Chief -'Ked Iron," wliilc that under Chief ••Friend.- in Judson
was the least, l,ein,n- really .,nlv a l,ranch of tlie Swan Lake vil-
lai^e. An Indian villa-e consisted simple of a collection of huts.
built l.y covering- a frame-work ,,f poh-, witii elm hark, leavin-
a hole in the roof for the smok:' to escape. These villa^-es were
seldom occupied except in the winter, ^vllich fact, owini^- to the In-
dian's want of cleanliness in and ah,,ut his abode, was well as a
sanitary measure. Durin- the summer the Indians wandered
about from stream to stream, fnm, lake t,i l.ake. and from prairie
to woodland, hunting- ami lishin-. and dwellim,'- in teepees.
An .dd Indian trail led from '•Ked Imn-s" villa-e to
"Friend's." and from there to the ujiper pr.airie, near the liouse
of Henry K,>berts, Ksq., thence by the hou^e .d' Kev. .lohn Rob-
erts, hdlowinu" the edi,'-e of the tinroer in a bee line thrr.ui.;h tlie
vil!an-e i,( S,.uth Lend. t.. llie v.alley of the Llue Earth. caUe.l bv
the Indians ••Pleasant V.-.lley." where they ,.btaine<l thei'r
paint and where they loved to camp, thence the i.atli le.l
throuirh where now stands the city of Mankato. into the Li-
Woods, where they fre(|uenllv went on liuntinLr expediti<ins. and
where, every spriiii,-, they made much maple sui^ar.
Upcm this .ancient road in tlie earlv davs one would be ipiite
sure to meet a troop ,,f ab,,ri-ines on tlie march, all walkin- in
sin-le hie. First came the men. dressed in close-httin- pant.i-
loonsof chmted ch.th ,,r buck skin, with a wide, fancv frin-e
alon<r each le- a pair of moccasins, ornamented with beads, on
the feet, and a dirtv white blanket drawn over the sliouhlers.
At the o-irdle huni;- a toniah;iwk. knife and ammunition pouch.
while on the arm wouhl be carried the -un. Thev were a tall.'
stalwart l,,okin- people, strai.-ht as an arrow, of a dusky re.l
color, with prominent features, hia-h cheek bones, and hm-,
straight, very coarse, black h.nr. ,,ften braided in one or two
plaits. Lehind the men came the s,pjaws. much more h.m-^ranl
and squ.atty than their lords, because of the drudi,rerv thev
had to ].erb.rin. On their backs would be hu-e bumlles, anil
often a small p.ippoose. strappe.l t,, a b,,;ir<l. perched on to). ,.f
all. "^Vith them also, would lie all the other ].a]ipooses ..f va-
ri.nis a--es. the ol.Kr ones carryimr burdens, like their mothers.
iMin<j;ded with the company wouhl be several wollish-lookiii"-
,S TIIK Wia.SH IX :\IINNi;sii-l-A.
dog-s, wluiS'j moat was esteemed a i,Teat delieacv at their feasts.
Generally, the tmojis woulil liave hair-a-dozcn small, scray^yy
ponies, which, sometimes, the men wmdd ride ; and which some-
times the squaws would harness to two poles, one end of each of
which would dran' on the uTound and form a sort of i)rimitive
wa^ron, uiH)n which to transiKjrt a ;>art of the luii'yai.'-e and ]>aj)-
pooses.
All labor connected with Indian life the s(iuaws iierformed.
Their duty it was not only to transport the liai^f-^-ai^-e, hut. also,
to put up the wiij,-wams. fetch the firewood, cook the meals, cul-
tivate the small ])atch of Inilian corn, tan the furs and the robes,
make the clothiuL;- and fancy l)eail-work-, manufacture the house-
hf)ld imjilements and hew out the canoi.s.
The Indians were very hospitable, and would spare the last
morsel, but expected <ithers to do the same. They had but a
faint idea of private property, esiiecially in the matter ni b»)d,
and, therefore, thought nothing- cd^ bci;-,-,'-in;.;- eatables (d' the early
settlers, deemin.;,'- it a matter of ri-dii that if they or their pap-
pooscs were hunjjfry, and the pale face had more food in his lodire
than he wanted at a meal, lu' should certainly share with them.
They seldom made any provision for the morrow, but would
g-or<!fe themselves with what tlie\- had at the time :ind wait until
hunj^ry before lo<d<in^- for more; hence, duriny the severe win-
ters, when yame became scarce, they were often .at starv;ition"s
door, and sometimes perished from want. They were never
dainty as to what they ate. All kinds of animals, and every ]>art
of the animal, afforded them nourishment. The early pioneers
remember how a dead horse or cow would be relished by the In-
dians as a bii;- feast.
The Sioux were the hereditary fi>es <d' the Chippewas, who
dwelt north, about the head waters ,d' the Mississippi ; and for
a<fes war i>arties were constantly i^oinn" out from one nation
a<,'-ainst the other. The fair fields <d' Minnesot.i have been lit-
erall}' drenched in i^'ore, and there is scarce a spot but has been
the scene of a bl ly cntlict. The (dd settler can recall how he
was horrified, when passitm- an Indian \illaye, at the si^dit id' a
number of fresh human scalps, painted, combed, and stretche<l
ujton a hoop which was fastened to .a ]iole in fmnt of the wi^--
wams. Sometimes the heails td' their victims miyht \)c seen
placed in a hideous row upon stal<es. Around these bloody
trophies, for many nif^hts, would be held the savage scal]i-dance,
with such howIiiiLf, hcmtinL;', and vellin;^' ;is would wake the
echoes of Gehenna. Thev observed nianv dances ami feasts, and
Tin; WIU.SII IX .-MINXHSOTA. 'I
oltcii s]>cnt all nii^-lit in these wild or^-ies, nua-li l<i thf termr of
the Oiirlv settlers hel'.ire they hecame used to their eustoms.
Thou;rh"the braves dislike.l ;'iH lal...r, deeinin- it iL^iioble for a
man, vet they were inured in the severest liardshiiis. I'ati^''ue and
bodily ])ains. Toemiure idiysieal sullerini;- with them was the
chief charaeteristie.dinanh.iod. Kr.nn ehildh.M.d the males were
tauyht ti> despise pain, and feats of endurance were always ilie
special feature. d their leasts and dances. .Majcir Stephen II.
L()n<;-, ^vhd made a survey ol the valley in is:;,, thus describes a
'•Dance td the Sun." performed b\ a youiiL;- lirave mimed "Wan-
otau," as witnessed by him at I^ake Traverse: This dance con-
sisted in makiui^- three cuts throULi'h his skin one on his breast
anil one on each of his arms. The skin was cut in the manner
of a loop, so as to jiermit a rope to pass under the strip (d sk-jn
and flesh, which was thus divided fr..m the body. The r,>pes
being passed throuyh, their en<ls were secured to a tall, vertical
pole, planted at about forty yards from his lod-'e. He then be-
g-an to tlance around this pole, at the commencement (d" his fast,
frequently swinging himself in the air, so as to be supported
merely by tlie cords which were secured to the strips of skin cut
from his arms and breast. lie continued this exercise, uith few
intermissions, during the whole (d' his fast, until the fourth day
about 10 o'clock a. m., when the striji of skin from his breast
gave way, notwithstanding which he interrupted not his dance,
although supporteil merely by liis arms. At noon the striii from
his left arm snapped off. His uncle then thought he had suf-
fered enough, and drew his knife and cut the remaining strip
from his right arm, upon which Wanotau fell to the ground in a
swoon. 'J'lie heat at the time was extreme. He was left exposed
in that state to the sun until night, when his friends took him
some provisions.
During the summer id' lS2(itwoof these Sisseton Sioux nuir-
dered two men <in the .Missouri river. The go\ernment de-
manded the murderers for punislniient. The aged father of one
volunteereil to die instead of his scni, and witli the otluT mur-
derer, started for Fort Siielling to deliver theinsehes up to the
authorities. IJefore entering the fort Ixith i)inii>ned their arms
and thrust wo.xlen splinters through the llesli above the elbows,
to show their contempt of pain and ileatli.
Thus the stoic red man cultivated ami exulted in his indif-
ference to suffering and death.
On the opposite side . d' the river from Friend's \'illage, ill
-Uidsoii, on a hiijh Iduff oviTlocdvinu' the river, was situated the
10 THE WKl.SH IN .^IIXNES'lTA.
old Indian cemetery. It was formetl liy placing- a number ol
crotched jmsts in tlie ^-roiind, and layinLT a net work of |i(iles
across from tme to the other ; and on U>\' of tliese, wrapped in
skins or hhmkets. the dead were dejiovited. This ancient burial
place was cut down and destroyed a- a nuisance by the early
Welsh settlers. The Indian, however, has i:one, F.-r the past
thirty years he has not set foot upini the hmd of his fathers. A
mig-hty change has taken phice ; his bark villa!.;-es ha\e disaji-
peared without leavinLT a ruin ; his paths are ol)literated : the
graves of his ancestors are no nmre : there is no trace <>f his
powerful race whicli tilled the land iust thirtv years :iiXn \ no one
can even find a trinket in the lields ; it is as thoui,'-h oblivinn had
drawn its hand across the slate of their existence, and blotted
out forever their every sli,Lrht mark. The land, where his fore-
fathers lived, and moved, and had their beiny: for a thousand
years and more ; where tliev loved and hated, joyed and sorrowed,
fought and bled and died ; where ambition stirred and victory
crowned full many a nameless hero— the land where he was born
and reareil ; where he jilaved and won his lirst achie\enu nts (d'
the chase and war. knows him not. And shoidd he return to-
day and behold it, dotteil with busy marts cd" trade, sjirinki. d
with farm-houses, scho(d-housrs ;ind churches, che(]uered with
wavin','- tields of y-olden harvests. striiKtl with roads and r.iil-
wa3's, anil teeming' with a stranire ]iopulatii <u, he, liki. wise, would
know it not.
EAKI.Y I)ISCO\'1:RIKs.
The lirst account we have of this orreat country dates Inick
to the year 17U(i, when a Frenchman, bv the name of Le Sueur,
having- intimation (d a copjier miiir in this rei^'-ion, and haxiuL;'
received authority from the IVeiu h doxornment, ascended the
Mississipjd with a small sail boat, two canoes, and ninetei'u men,
entering, on Se]>tember 2ii, ITno, the mouth oi the Minnesota,
which riverhe called St. Pierre, in honor of a Frencli <ifticer then
in command at Lakj I'epin. On ( )ctober 1st he entereil the
Mahkato or Idue ICarth ri\er. About a leaifue u\> this ri\er, in
the vicinity <d' the supp.>sed co])|ier mine. Le Sueur and partN'
landed and built a fort, which was comjdeted on Octolier 14tli
andcalleil LeIIuillier, after the Farmer ( leiieral at Paris. Thai
the valleys and jirairies adj<dning the Hlue F.;irth and .Minn, sot, l
rivers then atTorile<l i>asturage to immeus.' herds of butfal... is
evidenced by the fact that a few (d Le Sueur's party in a short
time killed four hundred of tliese animals, whose llesh, preserved
THK WKI.Sir IX MIN-.\K.-;(JTA. H
byl)ein<4-qii:irtcrc.l an.l liun--ui' t.. ,lrv within tlie fort, fnrnwd the
chief sustenance nf the party (hirinir the winter. In the sprm'j:
Lc Sueur be-an wijrking- tlie mine. Accordin- to PenieauU
who was one of the party, and afterward wrote an account o| the
expedition, the ore was scratched out with a knile, and. in
twenty-two days, more than twentv thousand p,ninds was ol,-
tained, of which Le Sueur selected four thousand of the best.
This he loaded in his shaUop, and with three canoes full of furs,
among- which were four hundred beaver roi.es of nine skins each'
. obtained in trade from the Indians, started about the first of Mav
for Louisiana and France, leavin- one D'l-raque with tvv'el've
men to -uard the fort. l)'Era.|uc remained at his post that sum-
mer and winter, until tlie sprin-ol 17o2, when, bein- out of pro-
visions and ammunition, an<i three of his men having? been killed
bytheF,,xand Mascouten Indians, he aband.me.l Uie fort an.l
sailed down the river for Louisiana.
The siyht of the ancient Fort Le Iluiilier is now verv much
in doubt. Some place it ab,,ut a mile below the iuncture'of the
Le Sueur river with the Illue Ivirth. l'enicaut\lescribed it as
bein- a lea-ue up the Mahkato, on a ,.oint of land a quarter of
a mile from the woods, and the mine w.-is three-,|uarters of a k-i-
gue distant, on the bank,d the river, in a bluff, where the .'.Teen
earth was a foot an,l a half in thickness: and a map of tlu' pe-
riod puts the fort ,.n the ri-ht bank of the river. T,, tallv with
the description, many think the Hlue Earth, at that time,llowe,l
w^est of its present channel, throu-h the villa-e .>f South liend
where traces of its ancient bed are plaiulv visible; and that the"
fort stood on the elevated tablelan.l to tlie east ..f the villa. a'
As to the copper ore -liscovered, this seems t.. have been the In-
dian pig-meiit of g-reen clay. What became of the ship-lo.ad carried
to France history saith not.
There is a tra.lition of an ancient and ma-nificent cave in
the vicinity of this l,cd of -reen cl.av.hewn into the solid rock in
the sides of the lii-h hlulf on the farm latelv owned bv .Mr Tas
P. Thomas. The entrance to the cave is said t.i be very sinalV
so that one would have t.. crawl in ,mi hands ;in.l knees ;" but the"
interi,ir is an immense chamber, who^e sides and lii..-h ceilin..-s
^^htter with the sheen ,,f a peculiar metal. In one corner stand.
a hu-e chest with a skeleton on the lid to o-uard the French v.al-
uables hid by irEraijue, while scattered almut the cave are heaps
of treasures, cmcealed bv the Indians. Tw,. or three of the
earliest settlers claim to lia\e seen the mouth of tlu' cave ,,r a
hole which might have been such, but a lau.l-slide s,.on "afte'r
12 Till'; wici.sii IN' T.iiN'.N'i;s(iT.\.
their arriviil cnvcrod it uji. ( )i\-;isi<inall_v sciinc curious anticjua-
rian, with ]nck and shovel, makes a feeble search, l)Ut no syste-
matic exploration has been attempted, and the wonderful cave
still remains a mvsUrv.
For a hundred and lifty vears after the abandonment of Fort
Lo Huillier this fair and fertile country w.as destined to continue
in the wild beauty ni nature. The buffalo i^rraze.l ujion the
prairie, the deer bounded throu-'h the forest, the wolf howled
fnjm the hillside, ami the smoke of the wi^-wam rose from the
valleys undisturbed by the ajiproach ni the white men : save for
the occasional visit of -,ome wanderiui,'- French hunter; save that
in May, 1S2(I, a company of Scotchmen, under one ]>aidlaw.
passed up the Minnesota river, from I'rairie Du Chien, with sev-
eral boats full of Lorain b.r the Selkirk Colony, at Pembina,
whose crop had lieen entirely destroye.l by irrass-hoppers ; and
save for the occasi.iiKil passiui,'- of some (Government surveyor
explorin.t;- expedition.
On the mornini;- of the 24th of July, 1S5(1. the first steam-
boat passed the mouth ,if the lilue Farth up the Minnesota river.
It was called the '-Yankee," and on board was an excursi.m
party from St. Paul. Just above the mouth of the Minneo]);i
creek the cry of bulfaloes w;is raised, and the old hunters i^nt
their g-uns ready: but the buffaloes proved to be a number of
hug-e boulders half hidden in the t.all i^ras-,. During- the dav the
heat was excessive, the murcury i;-ettinLr as hii^di as ]i)4 deirrees
in the shade. The ni^dit was passed at the mouth <d' the Fi;,'-
Cottonwood, and a terrible niu'ht it was. In addition to the
stifling heat, clouds of mosipiitofs tilled the air, aij^ainst whose
attack no smoke nor switches of leafy bou^rhs availed. So com-
pletely exhausted were the excursionists bv morniui^- that thev
were g-lad to beat a hasty retreat for home. Amoni;- this com-
pany of pleasure-seekers were P. K. Johnson. Col. Robertson,
Henry Jackson and D.iniel Williams, who were so imjiressed
with the gre.it beauty of the country and with the location <d'
the great bend of the .Minnesot.i as the natural kev to this vast
region, that they determined to build there a town. .Vcconl-
ingly, on January ?.]. 1S52, P. K. Johnson. Daniel Willi.ams an.l
John James left St. Paul with a team to locate the new city.
Ab.mt a mile below the mouth of the Mahkato, or Flue Fartli,
there was a -■ 1 boat landin-- .m the Minnesota, and hero our
adventurers determined to buiiid their citv. and .at once bei,>-an
by inittingup a lo;;- shantv. On the 4th of Februarv a town site
company w. IS oru-ani/ed at St. P.iul. c. insisting of biurteenmem-
Welsh
DWID S. EVANS.
Business Hen, Hankato,
HM. wV DAVIS, jil.
AUnn.
Welsh Business rien, riankato, Hinn.
THE WKI.SII IN .MINNESOTA. 13
bers, whi), in the fullnwiim- May, had the town site surveyed ami
platted, and ealled the new town Mankato. from the Mahkato or
BlueEarth river, tlioui;ii some maintain tb.at the name came from
that of the water-spirit in the (rerman Leu-end of Undine. But
the name Mankato does not occur in I'ndine. The fact seems
to have been that Mrs. Col. Kobi.rts.in. who chose the name,
had been readini,-- Nicollet's account of liie reu'ion of the Blue
Earth or Mahkato, where it is compared to the ['ndir.e rei,^!^
of the German Komance. The trood lad\- in ^ome w.iy misun-
derstood the iiassai^r-e and u'ot the inipresvion that Mank-alo was
the name of a water-spirit in the (German K'oniance and so named
the town. J)urinL;- that \ear i 1SS2 : ain.ut a half doy,i,n Ini;
shanties were built. This was the lirst settlement in Hlue
Earth county, and the oriLrin of the iiresent city i>i Mankato.
As to two of the founders -Daniel Williams and Jidm James
— their names indicate them n( Welsh descent, thouirh the for-
mer was born in New York and the latter somewhere in Kn^--
land.
THE FIF^ST WELSH SETTLERS.
ST. I'Al-I. AND I.E SriU'K.
Who was the first Welshman to settle in Minnesota is not
known, but prior to the orLi-anization i>i tlie territory in 1S4'> a
few Welshmen had located in St. Paul and vicinity.
In May, lS4'i, Maj. John P. Owens came to St, I'aul from
Cincinnati, ().. and started the Mlinic^vln /iVi,'7VAv-, the first
newspaper in the territory. About 1S4'> one Thomas ^Phoinas,
of Pont-y-pool, Wales, came from New Orleans and located in St,
Paul. He was a stone mason and contractor by trade, and
helped to lay the first foundations of the future caj>ital of our
state. P'our Welshmen, named John L. Joiies. (iriflith Jones,
John Koberls and Hnoch Mas.ai. nephew of the late Kev. John
PI. Evans, came to St. Paul in is.so. Mason died there in the
summer (d' 1S52, and was buried on I^ayton's Bluff, and as far
as known was the the lirst Welshman \yho died in Minnesota.
In 1851 these were joined by four other Welshmen, at least, viz:
David Jones ( now of [.e Sueur county:, another David Jones,
and one Evans, who had a druy store there, and Williams, in
the employ of the I'i, nicer.
John kobcrts, David J,mes, Orriflith Jones ;:;id John L. Jones
Went about four miles northeast of St. Pan! ;'.nd located upon
14 THK WKi.SH IX :mixxi;sota.
farms. Tho four were natives ..f Dcn])iu-lisliire, "Wales. In
Aug-ust, 1S.T2. John C. K\ ans. now of Lo Sueur cdunty, jnineil
this enibrycmie Welsh settlement, inakniu- his claim in Section
10 of New Canada tnwnship. He v,-a> soon joined by his two
sisters, Rose and .Mari^'aret. The t'oliowini,'- A])ril 'is.^.^i Mr.
Evans' father, Ivlward Kvans, ami mother, and his brother, Jvl-
ward S. livans, and his <jther four sisters, Elizalieth, ]\[ary,
Maria and Liza, all came to the new settlement, Tliouyh there
was then plenty of government land in Ramsey county, still the
soil was of such poor ([uality that our AVelshmen very soon con-
cluded to abandon it and seek a more fav,.rab]e s])ot. The re-
gion of the ];lue ICarth was then famed as being- the richest and
most desirable rarmin- land in the world. Accordingly about
the first of Mav, is?,;, John C. Evans. David Jones and John
Roberts llnding a lioat at St. I'aul going up the Minnesota river
to Ft. Ridgely, embarked on it for the IJlue Earth country.
The boat's name was Tiger. The first day it got as far as Ft.
Snelling. The next day it reached Home Landing- mow Shak-
opeei. The third d.iy brought them to Lrown's Landing
(now Henderson i. where there was but one cabin and one man
in it. The fourth day they reached Le Sueur, where a lew i)eo-
ple had settled. The fifth day found them at Traverse de Sioux,
which in that day was the largest eity by far in the .Minnesota
valley. It was the metropolis of the Sioux Indians. Situated at
the main ford of the Minnesota river, the place had been very
prominent in Imli.in history from the first and trading posts
were located here by the whites as earlv as fS2"i, and in 1S4.; the
g:reat Sioux missionary. Rev. S. R. RigL;-s. established a mission
here. At the time of this visit from our Welsh friemls. Nathan
Myrick conducted the principal trading ]'ost while Rev. .M. N.
Adams ministered to the spiritual wants ot the community. On
the sixth day our travelers jiassed Rock IJeinl mow St. Peteri
and Babcock's Landing, at each of which places there was but
one shanty, Fre-iuentlv the boat would stop while all on board,
passengers and boat hands, went out and cut wood for the engine
—the captain having thoughtfuliv brouu-ht along a few extra
axes for the passengers, ( )n Wediiesdav m<-irning, the se\entli
day since they began their journey our Welsh friends landed at
Mankato, then a citv <<i three l.>g cabins, and distant from St.
Paul .^.sii miles according to the boat's schedule, but which tcnlay
is only S(. miles dist:int and about two hours ride bv rail. ()n
inquiry they learned that the fertile prairie land they were seek-
ing lav six or seven miles to the west and south. The three
\
Edward tvans.
\V. E. Jones. Evan T. Jones.
EARLY WELSH SETTLERS OF LE SUEUK COITNTY, MINN.
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John C. Evans.
Hrs. John C. hvans.
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David HuKhes.
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Mrs. David Mughes.
EAKLY WELSH SETTLERS OF LE SrEUK COUNTY, MINM,
THJ' \vi;i..Mi IX Mixxi:5(;iTA. 15
ifDin-
struck nut throu'^'-h the Winuls to the south in <iucst of the 5.1
ised l;iml, but luul not i;-one far when a hcavv cokl rain set in,
which cinitinued with some snow all ilay. Turning- to the west
our travelers soon came to the lilue Earth river, but as the water
was deep and cold thev duld not cross it. anil after walkint,'- for
miles alonj.,'- its liank lookiuL;- for a ford, thev i,^ave up the project
and turned hack to return to St. Paul <>n foot. Havinir walkeil
until dark in the cold r.ain and tindinL-- no house to shelter in
thev were obliged to camp out in the woo.l-,.
They placed a few slrii>s of bark ov,r their heads to ward"
off the l)ii;---est drops. Thus our pioneers passed a nii^dit of mis-
ery lonLT drawn <iut. between the rain, the cold, the loneliness
and the dread ni wild beasts, whose cries fre.pientlv broke the
silence.
The next day thev b.und a well-beaten track which they
supposed led in the direction .d' St. Pav.l and they followed it
many miles, when it suddenly terminated in the remains of a
lar<;-e Indian vi!laL;-e situate on a lar-'e and n.ost beautiful ]ienin-
sula almost surrounded liy the waters of a biuT lake. The Indians
had all left, but indications pointed to a recent occupati.m. The
teepee poles were all up and their number sluiWed the villai^'e to
have been \ery lari;e. ( )ii the lake were a numbi'r of canoes
and round the teejiees were many cookini,'- utensils, made (d' birch
bark, while near the center of the villaife were a numlier t'i
empty whisky barrels, showiui^- that the devil's missionaries
from the land of the pale-face had .already found the red man
even in this hidden retreat. The lake was either Lake AVash-
iuLfton or some other larLTC lake in the near vicinity, and the
[rood path referred to led between it and Traverse de Sioux.
Our travelers now found that their -ood path had led them
directly away from St. Paul. Retracini; their steps they discov-
ered a new road \\hich oik Captain Todd was cuttini;- throu^'h
the Biy Woods, and which is known as the T<idd road to this
day. 'J'he second nii^lit they cam] ed by a creek where the vil-
lai,'-e of Clevehunl now stands. The next day they followed the
new road until late in the afternoon when they cauj;"ht up with
Captain Todd and his force cd" ele\en men at work on the road.
These were the first white men our WeKiimen had seen since
leaving- Mankato, and as the supply of crackers they had brought
from St. Paul was nearly exhausted they were very <,^lad to get
a small loaf of bread from the captain's scanty stock.
From this iioint on our travelers had neither road nor path
to guide them, but after wandering many weary miles through
1(1 TIIK WHI.SH I.V ^II\Xi:soTA.
the t;Ln,','-k-il labyrinth el' timber, lakes and shuii,rh^ thev tinallv,
about noon of the next day iSaturtlay . reached Canoe > now
Cannon) river at a point a little north ni Faribault. Our trav-
elers had no idea where they were, but after erossiuii" the river
to the ]>r;drie bey.md they eneuurai4-ed each other with the assu-
rance that when they reached a certain hiurh knoll off in the dis-
tance they could certainly see St. Paul, so they hurried toward
it with hi^-h ho]ies, but alas for nianv a human expecta-
tion. The top of that kn.ill only revealed the v.-illey of the
river stretchin;4- mile upon mile until it was lost in the dis-
tant horizon, with a boundless prairie on one side. and the endless
forest on the other, without a human habitation or jiath save an
(occasional Indian trail. Tired and hunury our travelers would
fain rest and refresh themselves, but the crackers and iiread had
all been exhausted since mornini;-, and there was an uncomlort-
able doubt as to wliere or when thev would ^-et more.
After traveliuL;- birsonie di^tance they found a fairly in^xl
trail, which, fortunately, ]iroved to be the<me leailiu;,'- between
Faribault and St. Paul. Xi^dit came, but they dared not rest,
for as yet they knew not whence their next meal would
come. So they ]iressed on all niuht. The woods on their left
seemed alive with w.ilves, whose loud and dismal howls often
sounded startlinu'ly near and remindeil our travelers that thev too
miii-ht be lo.duu!.;- bir their supper.
Acn.ss the path lay numerous , creeks whose cold and un
known waters they had to lord in the dark, and manv
of them ]>roved to be cpiite deep. After travelin^r all niij;ht and
until 1 or 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, to their
ij^-reat joy they canu' to the house of a Frenclunan, where thev
obtained some b,o,l and learned that St. Paul w.is but seven
miles distant.
Our Welslnnen now determined to remove from their settle-
ment near St. Paul to the country thev had seen near Traverse
de Sioux. Accordin;.;lv alter a few days rest an<l jireiKiration on
May 31, 1S.=,,;, live (d' them, namelv. .I.din t'. I-^vans, JCdward S.
Evans, Elizabeth JOvans - their si-ter .. .lohn Koliertsand Criflith
Jones started with three wa^'ons drawn bv biur yokes of oxen
fertile new country. They went fnmi St. I'aul to where the
present city of Fariliault stands, and where then' a few In-
dians and half-breeds, dwelt toi;ether with one white num who
had just arrived, thence they passed throUL.'-h the llij;- Woods to
where now stands the vill.ioe of Kas.ita.
Tlieir wai^ons were the tirst to ]ias-, through most of this
THI-: Wl'I.SIt IX MINNICSOTA. 17
country and slow and tedious was the journoy-cuttin!,'- tlioir
way Ihroui^h the donso tani;-lcd f.Test. cmssini,'- lM)tt( mikss
sloug-hs, g'oiny- u\> and duwn steep ra\-ines and InrdiuL;- eneks
and rivers. Many -svere the aecidents an.d thrillin;;- adx'entures
of each (hiy.
After a few (hiys spent in ex]d.iratinn of the country they
finally chose I^e Sueur prairie as the site of their new home, and
there accordinu'ly located their claim-.
This was the ori-'in of the pr--._nt Welsh Settkinent of Le
Sueur or "Uig Woods" as it is commonly calleil. The uovern-
ment had not yet surveyed the land, s,) ,,ur settlers huilt their
cabins and jdowed the ])rairie to suit themselves with no lioun-
darics to interfere. In the follnwinu" Au-'ust ('.riHitli .Tones
left for Wiscni^in, never to return, .md in ( >ciol,er J(din Rohrrts
died suddenly after a short illness, and was buried on a corner
of his claim. Nev. .\dams. .d' Traverse de Sioux ofllciatin-" at
the funeral. liJolierts was an honest, reliu-ious youni;" num and
a member of the W'esleyan Methoilist church. To compensate'
for this loss to the settlement of two-llltlis of its iiopulation, the
next day after Mr. IxJoberts" death. Mr. and Mrs. ICdvcard ICvans,
parents of J(din C. IMward S. and I-llizabeth Evans, arrived with
their other two daii'_;-hters. Maria and. I^iza. In the bdlowini;-
May. Th.>s. Davis an.l family arrived from Pomeroy, ().. and lo-
cated in the same nei'_;-hl](jrliood. Durini;- 1 S5.t came I)a\-id .Tones,
Evan Jc)nes and Wni. Ilumjdirevs, with their families, and set-
tled on the opi)osite side of the river, in Sibley county.
Let us now leave this embryo settlement id" I^e Sueur countv
and trace the be;,''inninL;' of its mtich lari^er sister settlement in
Blue Earth county.
lU.riC ICAKTII curxTv.
About this time there lived in T.a Crosse, Wisconsin, two
■Welshmen: D. C. Evans, I'^sq., and Kev. Kichard Davies.
Mr. Evans was born in ^Nleivod. M.>ntL;onieryshire. Aj'ril 2S,
1820; cmiyrated to Palmyra, O.. in IS.^^i,: thence, in 1^4.^, to
Dodg-eville, Wis.; and tlicnce to I^a Crosse, in IS.^o. In his men-
tal make-up he was more of an American than a Welshman —
and a western American at tliat thoroughly imbued with that
sang-uine entluisiasm which is the virtuous fault of our ty]>ical
westerner; which makes him see milli.ms in e\-erythini,'', build
the city of a century in a day, .and transform in an hour a s.av-
a<:;e wihlerness into a smiling;' ci\ ili::ation.
Kev. Kichard Davies was a native id' the same shire in
18 THE Wlil.SU IX :\riXXKSOTA.
Wales, born in Llanwucldrlcii. January, isiv^; cnii-rratcd to
Jackson county. Ohio, in IS.^T : bciran preaching- there with the
C. M. church in l.s4i) ; moved, in 1852, to Racine, Wis., and ten
years hiter to La Cmssc. where he labored as a missionary with
the CongTcg-ationalists.
These two men were ol' the oj^inion that they could better
their fortunes more readily by movinjj: tarther west, and they
were also desirous of betterinLT the fortunes of their countrymen.
by foundini,r a new Welsh settlement. Heretofore, nearly all of
the Welsh colonies liad been made in ])oi>r. barren aifricultura!
districts, and our two WeKhmen were very anxious that one
settlement, at least, should be idanted in some of the rich farm-
ing" lands of the West.
When in the real estate ofHce of Cn]. T. 15. Stoddard, a.t La
Crosse, in the spriiiL;- of ls5;.. .Mr. Evans had his attention first
called to the ^--reat bend of the St. I'eter, or .Minnesota, river as
a natural point (d' importance. This Col. Stoddard used to
study the maps of the northwest in those days, with a view to
discover the natural points, where, in liis o;iinion, ij^reat cities
must arise; ami foremost anioni^- these points was the bii^ bend
at the mouth of the Llue Karth.
About this time wonderful accounts bey-an to circulate of
the mag-nificent country in the valley of the Minnesota, which,
by treaties with the Wapetcm and Sisseton bands, of Dakotas, at
Traverse de Sioux. July 2:^. ISSl. and with the Medawakon and
Wapekuta bands at .Mendota. Au-ust 5. is.^l. had all been ceded
to the liovernment. These treaties, on the 14th of February.
185.1, were ratified by Coni,Tess, and this vast territory was
thrown open for settlement.
All these thin-s coiniu- to the ears of our Welsh friends at
La Crosse, fanned the western tlame within them all the more,
and at last, on the 2(dh of July. lS5.v Mr. Lvans started from
La Crosse to s]>y llie promised land. ( hi the way he tell in with
one Gen. Matthews, who was also drifting- westward. They spent
a day at St. Paul, then a villai^v of a .lox.eii shanties, and went
to see the jjfreat falls .d St. Aiithonv, and visited the only white
inhabitant then in that re!.rion, a Ccd. Stevens. ' in those
days no American came West unless he was ,i (General, a Col-
onel, or at least a C.iptain i. This Col. Stevens had just
built a squatter's siiant\- (ju the land adjoiniiii^- the falls, but
lived in daily apprehension (d" l)eint,'- drixeii olf, as a trespasser,
by the militarvat Fort SiieilinL,'-; for St. .Vnthony Falls, with its
adjoinii y country, then beloiiLTed to the In.li.iiis. Standing- lie-
THK WELSH IN -MIXNKSoTA. I'l
side this inaii-nilk-cnt water power in its i>riinitivc j,'-reatnfss and
grandeur, Mr. Kvans remarked, "Here some day will l>e the Ivo-
well of the West." II.. w well this prediction has been verified
let the city of two hundred thousand inhal.itants. which sup-
plies the markets of the world with. Hour ami lumher attest.
At St. Paul, Evans and Matthews met Samuel Ilumhertson,
captain of the '•Clarion," a small boat plyin<r on the Minnesota
river. Two or three weeks before, this man had gone ashore,
about a mile above the mouth of the lilue Earth, where a nar-
row'valley, the ancient bed of that stream, coines di>wn to the
Minnesota, between two prairie plateaus of the second bench.
Finding;" at this spot a line idace for a boat landini,f and levee,
Capt. Ilumbertson decidetl to found a city in this valley and on
the adjoining- plateaus, which should riwil Mankato and become,
eventually, the city .d' the L.'-reat bend. Accordini,>-ly, he left
Thomas Laniereaux, his ne])hew, with a ])ile of boards, to hold
possession, while he should L,.-et up a townsite com]>anv at St.
Paul. Meeting- Evans an.l Matthews he .piicklv in<luced them
to join him in the enterjirise. The water in the ri\'er that vear
being low, the --Clarion" failed to ascend further than Uabcock's
Landing, a little above the present cit\- of St. Peter. From
there, on the 1st of August, is.^.;, Ihunbertson, his clerk Alden
Bryant, his engineer John .Mann, with I\vans and Matthews,
walked to the present site af South licnd. There they
found Thoni.is Lamereaux and a bottle of whiskey lying
under the pile of boards. There they also found J. S. Lyon
and familv, who had arrived frc)m Iowa a dav or two before, in
a. pru/r/c sr/zom/fr i ii wagon with a tented cover cd' sheeting i.
Lyon was taken into the townsite .Minpatiy, making the sixth
member, each having an ecjual share.
At the suggestion oi Mr. Ev.ans the village was called
"South r.end," from its position at the great bend of the Minne-
sota.
On Saturdav, August (>, ISS,^, was built for Mr. Lyon, on
the tableland ea>t <d" the present village, the first lo-" cabin.
It is to be noted that Mr. Lyon brought the first cow west
of the Llue Earth, and on this day was done the tirst churninLT-
This item has still more interest since the recent wonderful de-
velopment of the dairy industr\- in this region. On this same
()th of August the tirst Board of Countv t'ommissioners met at
Mankato and organized the county ol Line Ivirtli and estab-
lished the votin.u- precincts <d' Mankato and Kasota. On the 7th
of August Mi. ICvans starte<l back to La t'rosse, to arrange his
20 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
affairs there in reference to his new home, and to report the
good country he had found. When just ready to return to South
Bend on the 17th, intellig-ence reached him that his father, at
Palmyra, O., v.-as seriously ill. So ]\Ir. Evans hired a Welsh-
man named Owen Herbert to ;;-o to South Bend to look after his
interests, while he went to attend his father in what proved to
be his last sickness. October 11th was held the first election in
Blue Earth county, which comprised the election precinct of
Mankato only. There were eii^-hteen votes cast, eleven of which
were republican and seven democratic. By the 15th of Novem-
ber Mr. Evans had returned to South Bend and on the 22d went
after D. T. Turpin, a surveyor at St. Paul, to survey the new
townsitc, which survev was com])leted on the 2d of Decern) ler.
The weather had been exceedinir'.y line during- all of this fall,
and on the last day of the survey there was no frost in the
ofround, while e\'en on Cliristmas day, when a i)arty of Mankato
people came up lo visit South IJentl, the ice on the ]!lue Earth
was not stronij: enoui^-li for tliem to cross upon it. By the first
of January, 1.S54, however, there was a chanL,'"e in the weather
pro<frani, and a very cold spell was experienced, lastini:;- six
weeks.
About this time the provisions at South Benil j,'-ave out and
none were to be had nearer than St. Paul— ninety miles away.
Mr. Evans had iM.uLrht a span of horses of Capt. Humbertson.
which, by the way, we're the lirst, and. fur two years, the only
horses west of the IMue Eartli, It, therefore, devolved upon Mr.
Evans to take his horses and slei.Lrh after ^irovisions.
With deep snow ui)on the ifround— drifted in ]ilaces to
mountain lieaj's — with the mercury down to the twenties, and
the dang-er of being- caugfht in a lilizzard with<iut a road or a
human habitation, the journey was anytliini,^ but desira-
ble. It took Mr. Evans eleven davs to make the trip,
and the hardships attending- it were the severest he ex-
perienced in all his life. On the eveninir of the 24th
of January he was overtaken bv a terrible storm, far
away fr<im any liouse, and g-ave himself u]> to perish. Un-
hitching his team, lie made the best shelter possible for them
with the sleigh, and juit before them all the fodder he had.
Kindling- a lire, he sat down beside it, not expecting to see the
morrow. He fell int(. a sort of a doze from which he awoke to
find his fur cap lying upon a few embers before him, apparently
intact, but upon the touch (d" his hand it fell to ashes. This
aroused him from his stupor, and the storm forlunatelv having
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22 THE ■^•HI.SH IN MIXXKSOTA.
abated, he took ciiur:iL;-e. ami with head tied up in some ilannel
shirts he had hnui^dit at St. I'aid, lie eventually manaired to
reach Shakoiiee, where lie and his team were h<isi)itablv eared
for at the hostelry ol the old pioneer, Jo--. Keynolds. --I'nele
Joe," as he was called, confidentially tol.l Mr. Evans of
all the wonderlul .-idvantau'es possessed by Shako]iee, and
how some day, n<.t far distant, it was Ixnind to be the
London n{ America. He thoui,-ht St. Paul mi^^rht be-
come a fair sized town had it not unfortunately been
located too near Shakooee. Mr. Evans listened with a
C(jmpassionate smile as li,. thoiiu-lit that Mr. Reynolds had never
seen the i,^reat South ImmkI, and while in'tiorance was bliss, it
would be folly, thought Evans, to disturb his dreams \>y reveal,
inj,"- the glorious future of the miL;-hty city at the wonderful bend,
so he left him and heroicalh' pushed forward tiirouii'h the snow-
drifts, until he linally reached his ])rospective citv and its hunirrv
inhabitants, who were prayerfully looking" for him and his load.
Toward the last oi February the weather irrew very warm,
and a thunderstorm on the Nt(d' .March took away all the snow
and broke up all the ice in the river. Alter this so mild was the
temper;iture that Mr. ICvans had no more need to shelter his
horses, but left them out [lasturiny day and niirht. By the 4th
of A])ril the snak'es and uiosipiitos were out.
DurluL;- the winter Mr. ICwms had the h.^-s hauled for his
two-story house, which was built durum' the summer; but. while
Mr. l^vans and his emi'loyee, ( »wen Herbert, were busy raisini^'
the walls of the would-be m,-trop,,liN . South IJeml >, our old friend.
Rev. Richard Ikivies, at La Crosse, was ctpially busy, by the
public jirtss and by private letters, mal-iir.u'' known its ^-reatness
and t;-lory throughout the Welsh world. So well, indeed, did he
advertise the new settlement that in a year no Welshman in the
land but had heard of the fame of South Bend, and the i,'-olden
acres in the valley of the Minnesota.
The hrst Welshmen induced to visit the new settlement
were John Jmies and his son-in-law. (Griffith Jones, from near
Oshkosh, Wis., win. came t.. view the land on the 24th of July,
lS54;andon the 17th of Aui^ust followin<r arrived with their
families and settled on claims near Rush Lake, three miles
southwest of South Lend villau'e. They broug-ht with them all
their stock and farm implements. On the htli of July, 1S54. the
election jirLcinct of South Lend was created, com]irisinj.,r all the
country west of the Llue Earth. 1). C. Evans, L. ^L^tthews and
N. G. 15anys were apptiinted election jud;,'-es. Evans, however,
THE wp:lsii in mixxksota. 2.-.
did not servo, hciiiLT a candidate fur County C'dniniissiuncr that
fall. The election nccurred on the Mth id' October, and South
Bend cast live votes ;ind Mankato forty-tive, and Mr. I'^vans was
elected with a irood majority.
Durinj^- the sunnnercd" 1S54 was hiid out the first military
road by Capt. Keno, from Memlota, throui^'h .Mankato and Soutli
Bend in a southwesterly course, to the mouth of the ilii;- Sioux
river. Duriui^- this summer, .ilso. .1. S. Lyon built, on Minne-
opa creek, the lirst saw mill, which he bei;-an ojieratiuL;- on the
8th of Auj4-ust. This Lyon was a (lueer cliaracter with all the
crude notions and ways of a typical backwooilsman. lie dressed
in a buck-skin suit of a semi-barbarous style, and the least re-
straint of civilization -"ailed him. and caused him half the time
to be at loyjrerheatls with those whom he came in contact.
The death of his son, John Ivyon. which occurred September
9, LS54, was the lirst in the settlement. The funeral services
were held in the o]ien air near the jiresent South Lend t'eme-
ter}-, and were conducteil by Kev. .lames Thompson, a Lresby-
terian minister, who then and theri.' j. reached the lirst sermon
ever heard west of the Llue ICarth, from the te.vt found in 2d
Cor., 5th chaj). and 1st ver. .bdm Lyon was 21 ye.irs old when
he died, and for liis amiable character v/as much esteemed by all.
September 22, 1S.-4. the South Lend plat was recorded, when
it appears the proprietary was divided. '^ share each, to D, C.
Evans, Lyman ^Litthews and Samuel Ilumbertson, and ' , each
to Alden Bryant and .V. Thompson. The first census, tak'en and
preserved in his diary by 1). C. rvvan>, shows South Lend to
contain, on the sth of Augmst, IS.^4. 5 houses. (> families com-
prising- 2<) souls. 1 span of horses, 4 yoke of oxen, i> cows, and 2
dog-s. Had the water been higdier in the river this year, so that
Capt. Humbertson could ascend it in his boat, this population
might have been many times doubled. In the sprintr he started
from St. I'aul with fifteen American families for South Lend,
but failed to pass the rai)i(ls near Carver, and all turned back
disg-usted, except Mr. Thomjison.
The pen of our old friend, Kev. Kichard Davies, at La
Crosse, ]iroved mightier, however, than Cai)t. lluinbertson's
boat. The glowint;- descriptions .d tlie vallev of the Minnesota.
■which appeared in the / 'y^i^cdyilii. Dryrh and Cxjaill fired the
Welsh mind thmug-hout the country with a desire to see tlieso
g-olden Hesperian fields.
About the first of February, ls.-.=^. three persons left Kminet,
a Welsh settlement near Waukesha, Wis., lor South Jlend.
24 TIIH AVEI.SII IX MIXXF-.POTA.
Their nuincs were John A. Joiu-s, Davi.l J. Lewis ;ina Evan J.
Lewis. Crcssiiis;- tile }\Iississiiii>i at La Crosse, and being- pro-
vided with l-hiiikets, a baj;- uf j.rMvisi.ius and a y^un, they struck
out afoot throiiL;-h the i^'-reat wihlerness. Now they \\H)uhl come
Upon a trail which soimtinies kd tlieni ariLj'ht and often astrav.
and now they wouhl wamler through tlie unbroken forest, where
there was not tlie L'diost of a path anywhere. Sometimes they
would stumfde upon a lonelv culun in the woods, and share over
ni<;-ht the i)ioncer's i^xnerous hospitality. At other times they
would travel all day without seeing- a sin-^fle soul, and would
have to pass the niyht round a camp tire in the open air,— and
this, too, in mid-winter; but it was a mihf winter, without much
snow. I'^inally. after many hardships and adventures, they
reached South Lend lilced tlie country, located claims, built
cabins-, and on the 2nd of .March returned home to tell their
neighbors what they had seen and to prepare for emi,Lrratin,<jf as
soon as the weather became faxorable.
About March 22, also, Mr. Kvans, lindiuL,'- it not well, even
in this western ]iaradise, that man slniuid be alone, de]iarte<l for
his old Palmyra home in ijuest of a tittinir heli>mate. .\liout
April Kith, of this same vear !S3.^ i ci^iit Welshmen met at
(ialena, LI., all troin-- to th.e valley id' the Minnesota. They
were Wm. C. Williams, \Vm. Jenkins and Ld. IMerce, from Lii,-
Rock, 111.; Thos. Y. Davis and JLunphrey .Tones. fr<im I'omeroy.
O.; John Watkins and Wm. .Tones, from Youni,'-stown, ( ). ; and
Anthony Howells. from I'almyra, O. Thus thrown too-ether
they journeyed henceforth in lompany. Arrivinsx at St. I'aul
they found no boat ready just then to tak-e them further, on ac-
count of low water, so they hired a man and team for S.^.no
apiece to drive them to Mankato. where they arrived April 14th,
and that same afternoon walked the balance of the way to South
Bend. This famous nietro]'olis they would hax'e jiassed without
knowing- it hail thev not turned to in(|uire at a little nuiifh
board shanty, nearly covered with the skins i>i wihl animals
that huny^ about it to cure. What, however, was the .astonish-
ment of our friends to learn that they then stood in the midst
of the y-reat city itself, of which they had read so much from the
gushing- pen of our friend I)avies;yea, and that they stood at
the princii>al entrance of the only firstclass hotel in town (the
other entrances being- where the hoards h;ul warjieil and shrunk,
and were used mostly bv the wind, r:iin and nioscpiitosi.
This comjiany of Welshmen, after tr:L\eling about several
days in ijuest of farms in the vicinity of South Lend, linall}-, on
THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA. 2r>
the 28th of April, located upon claims Icti miles farther west —
in the present town of Judson. The eight claims, of IfiO acres
each, were on the ujiland prairie, and ranged in a row along the
edg-e of the timber from the old \Vm. C. Williams place to that
of Kev. .Tolm Kohcrts. After marking the claims the i-arties
drew lots for them. April Mnh they hired a son of Mr. I.yon to
take them up in a wagon, with a second-hand stove .and a few
provisions, to the new settlement. The next two or three weeks
were spent building a house upon each claim. It did not re-
quire much labor or expense t(_) build a residence in those daj's.
A site was chosen in tiie brush where timber was most conven-
ient ; some cut the logs, others carried them together :'.nd
])iled them uiion each other in a rectangular shai)e, to the
height of six or seven feet, one side being nuule higher than the
other for a roof slope. The roof of poks and bark was then put
on and the house completed. There w.is no glass, so windows
were dispensed with; there was no lumlier, so Urra Hniui an-
swered for a floor, and a blank'et, hung oxer the entrance, served
the purpose of a door. At his leisure the pioneer would fill the
cracks between the logs with chunks of wood, and ])laster them
over with mud. Such was the mansion prime\al. ^Vfter a vear
or two this gave place t<i a lari^'er log cabin, jdastered with clay,
with one or two small scjuare windows, with a two-sided roof
covered with a.x-sjdit clap-boards, with a lloor of wide, rough
planks (sawed or hewn ), and with a stout iloor of the same ma-
terial, fastened with a strong wooden latch. Sometimes a lire-
place and chimne\'. huge enouLrh lor a pair of oxen to pass
through, would be built first, and the Imuse above described ap-
pended to it as an addition. In the course of a few j-ears this
house would be superseded by a more tasty and commodious one
of hewn logs, jtlastered with lime, roofed with shingles, flo(jred
with matched boards, partitioned olf into rooms, and ha\-ing an
up-stairs and a ]>aneled front d(.ior. In another decade, this
house in turn had to give place to the ]»resent comfortable edi-
fice of frame or brick. Such is the evolution of the modern farm
house in the Minnesota valley. IJut to return to our stinit
heartetl pioneers, whom we left fashioning the ]irimordial germ
of the house s]>ecies. Having liuished their shanties, all except
Humphrey Jones, Thos. Y. Davis and Win. Jones left b.r their
respective homes after their goods and families; and in a few
daA's more Wm. Jones departed u]ion the same errand, leaving
Thos. Y. Davis and Humphrey Jones alone in the new settle-
ment. Let us also leave them for a time, while we see how
2(i THE WKI.SII IN MINNKSOTA. ;
South Bond is pr..-jrr^^sin--. Ab..i,t the miildlc ..I' April, 1SS5.
Evan D. ]']\;ins and iainily arrixid iriuii illn-^sburi,''. I'a-. and dii
the 27th of the same month came ICvan ICvans ( I'ant i and Thos.
Jones (JA/c.sJ/,/::v) on a visit from Waukesha. Wis.
They all boarded with Joshua llarnard, and the bill ,d' fare
consisted only of salt meats and Indian eorn. boiled to;^'-ether.
April 22d was held the first prayer nieetinir west of the
Blue Karth. and the first Welsh praver meetiiiL;-, probably, west
of the Mississippi. 'I'iie place was the cabin oi Mr. J<din .fones
(Oshkosh). on Kush Lake in Soutli Bend township, and tli.ise
present were Mr. Jones and familv. \\'\\\. Jenkins. W'm. (". Wil-
liams, Humphrey Jones. Tims. Y. Davis and the others ,>f their
part_v before naimil. Ajiril 2'ith the first prayer ineetiiiL,'' in
South Bend villa-e was held at D. C. ICvans" house, then occu-
pied by Evan D. ICvans. The service was j>artly in Welsh and
partly in EnL.'^lish. bolh nationalities beiiii;- |>resent. 'IMiose
takin,!,'- part were l^van D. ICvans. Owen Herbert, Joshua B,ir-
nard and ]C\'an K\-ans (Panti.
A Bible class had been held for a few Sundays the preceed-
ing- P'ebruary. when D. (\ lOv.ms, Jcsluia B.arnard. Owen Her-
bert, John A. Jones and David and ICvan J. Lewis used to
g-ather toLTether on Sundays at ?vlr. lOvans' house, and read .a
chapter of the Scrii>tures. each one comnieiuiii!.;- and (lUestionins,"-
upon his own \ erse after the W\dsh method. .Mr. Barnard, who
was a ver\' religious man. and wlm since has beci>ine an eflicient
minister i»i' the M. !•:. Church, usuallv bei^an those Bible studies
with prayer. There were none then amon^- our pioneers much
versed in music, so Mr. JJarnard. who had learned to plav tlu'
fiddle in his youth, would lead the sini^ini,'' bv first humming-
the tune over on an old bass-viol, then all would join in with
lusty voices.
"C)n the ,sth of .May. Edward Thomas, Ks.|.. arrived with his
family fnnn Pomeroy. ( >. ; and on the second Sabbath cd' that
month was started at D. C. lOxans' house the first rei;-ular Sun-
day school, with Edw.'ird Thomas as sujierinlendent.
May 21st, Thos. M. Pu-h and Thomas Phillips reached
South Bend from Dod-eville. Wis. They traveled from Shako-
pee on foot in comjianv with two (iermans. l^^ailinn' to reach a
house by niL;lit, they had to lodL.'-e under the twinklint,'- stars.
The four laid them down in a row on a Idanket and. beinir tired,
soon fell asleeji. Toward midni;;-ht Pui^-h was awakened by the i
loud h<)wlin--s of the wolves in the surroundin-- b.rest. After j
listeniny awhile to their disnuil cries, at times sounding vie- {
V>''?''^m"" f^
^1 ..
Hugh Edwards.
Km
"W
I i:C^^/
f^Kj^
Evan William^
r^
-
y
V
i
V
David J N\illiam<i Bradtord.)
if ^' k
J
V
/I
j^^^ "N
t|
-rrr "S^
3. /
EvaHj'H. Evans.
. '■ ^V
Hugh n , >\ illlami.
/ V
Lewis D. Lewis.
if - :v*H^
7
John L Jones.
THK WKI.SII IN MIXN'I-SOTA. ^/
iouslv near, he l)eL;-;ni to thinl, his nutsiilo ixisitioii not the iiMsl
desirable. Next to him hiy a sleek, lat Dut.-hiiiaii, and Mr.
Pupfh, g-ettinyuj), crawled in on the otherside of him, saying- as
he pushed the Teuton outwanl, "-Tlie Dutehman first, Mr.W'ollV
Mr. Wolf, however, went lor oilier i^-anie and left Dutchman
and Welshman alone.
The early settlers well rtinemlier how numerous the woU'es
were durinij the first few years and how they made nii^'ht hid-
eous with their howlini;s. Tliey were a small, harmless k'ind,
thouyh. and so timid as to he seldom seen, .and with the settlini^"
of the country they almost euiirelv disapiieared.
In the ni.mth'(d' June, .lolm A.Jones. David and Kvan J.
Lewis returned to tluir cl.iinis, hrini^inL,'- with them a hiri;e col-
ony from Knimet, near AV.acrt. .wr.. Wis. Of this colony were
Evan H. Evans. Hu-h I'M wards, Wni. J. K.,herts, J,.hn I'n-h,
Sr., Griffith Koherts, R,,l,en K. Williams. Tin, mas J. Jones
(IJryn Llys > and David iCvans aVeek . They came acr<,ss the
Cf)untrv 1)V wa^• ol La t'rosso .md Kochester in eleven covered
wag-ons with their families, houselndd -dods, farming,'- im])le-
ments and cattle, makiuL;- .a -reat multitude, so that David Lyon,
of La Crosse, told D. ('. iOv.ins, who h.aiipened to he there in a
few days after they had I'assod, that there were thousands of
them. They were six weeks mak-iuLT the journey. A reli^-ious
people, too, \\-ere they, who in .all their weary wanilerin<^s did
not forgfet the worship of ( hxl a sini,'-le Sunday. Crossing- the
Mississippi at l^a Crosse on Saturday, they encamjied on the
Minnesota shore for the Sal.h.ath > May 27. is^.s >, an<l Kev. Kich-
ard Davies came across in a skiff and ]ireache<l for them there
in the wilderness. This was the first Welsh sermon preached
in Minnesota and pnd.aldy the llrst west of the Father of
Waters.
Near StraiL^ht river tliev met the WinnebaL,'-o Indians, en route
to their new reservation, located that spring- three miles south
of Mankato and -South Hend, in the very heart of Blue Earth
county. The si.irht of so inanv savat^ros, and the thought that
they were to be such near iieii^-hbors. rather intimidated (Hir col-
onists and they halted for a fi'w days, in much doubt whether to
advance or retreat. John A. Jones, Lvan and Daviil J, Lewis,
Thomas J. Jones and J.din l>u.--h concUuled in a short time to 'j;,,
ahead and they reacheil South Hend on the 21st of June. The
others left their wagons and families near l-'aribault and went
aliead on foot to reC(mnoiter the country, going as far as the
cabin of John 10. Davis, in the present town of Canii>ria. Ke-
28 TIV-: WKI.SH IN :\riNXESOTA.
turning'-, all were satisfied to proceed, except Evan II. Evans
and David Evans, who sold some of their stock antl started back,
while the (Others went forward. The fates, however, were
ag-ainst our faint-hearted emigrants, and, Pharaoh-like, their
chariot wheels were broken, and they had to put into Faribaidt
for repairs. Next ninrniin;- the\- clian.i,''ed their minds and turned
ag-ain to follow after their companions, arrivint;- in South liend
five days after them, .Tuly 4tli. Most of this colony settled alouijr
Minneopa creek. Atiout this s;ime time another company from
Ixonia, Wis., composed nf J(din Francis, John Williams and
others, reached South IJend.
June 24, 1S5S. Ke\-. W'm. Williams, a IJajitist minister from
Big Rock, 111., visited South Bend and preached the lirst Welsh
sermon in IJlue 3\arth county. About July Sth, our old friend.
Rev. Richard Davles came t.> South Ijend from f.a CVosse.
About the same time William K. Price and family arrived from
Cambria, Wis., and 1). t". I'^vans returned with his worthy help-
mate from Ohio.
Aug-ust 2.m1. ICvan ICvans iPanti. John Jones ( i//i/r> imi-.jr)
and Hug-h R. Williams arrived with their families from Wauke-
sha, Wis., and settled on claims in the vicinitv of South Bend.
On the 1st of .Vuuu'^t. 1S5.^, Ke\-. Richard Davies organized,
at his own house in the villa^'e of South Kend, the first church
in the settlement. It was an Union church, with five deacons
and fortj'-three niemliers. Rew R. Davies, was pastor; ICdward
Thomas, Sr., clerk: and the deacons were Evan II. Ivvans, T'.van
Evans (Pant), William R. Price, William J. Roberts and Ed-
ward Thomas, Sr. Se!)tember 2d. we find the lirst record of
baptism, by Rev. K. Da\ ies, the bapti/.ed beiuLT Thomas, son of
Evan I). Evans, and Soidiia Hannah, (humhter of William R.
Price. Three Sabbath services were re,!.,>-ularly held this sum-
mer and f;ill, in South Den<l ; two beiiii.;- (k'N'oted to ]ireachini;-
and prayer and the other to the Sabbath school. an<l all the
people beinn' united in one church, there was a L^f'ood attendance,
and many manifestations also of the di\iiie j'resence.
Let us now visit Judson which, in those early days, was
called "Eureka" from a pa]>er city (d' that name, situated on the
opposite side cd' tlie river from it, in Nicollet county. At this
upper settlement we left Thomas Y. Davis and Humphrey Jones,
all alone ; yet not entirely alone, for, between the Indians and
mosquitoes, they often thoUL,'-ht they "had more comjiany than
was needed. None but the oldest pioui^ers can form anv
idea of what a idai^ue the mosi|uitoes were in the early days.
THE WIvI.Sir IN MINNKSOTA. 29
The milk yrass of the jirairio cncircliiiif so manv lakes and
sloug-hs, and the tliick underbrush of the forest, with the manv
brooks and rivers, bordered by <leiise i^rrowtli of reeds and ruslies,
seemed a very paradise for tliese blood-thirsty little i)ests.
Should it be cloudy, one could hardly endure them duriiii;- the
da_y ; but when e\eninLr came the atmosphere was alix'e with
them — a million to every cubic inch- and as huiii,'-rv were they,
and ferocious, as thou'^di they had fasted for a year and a day.
The other obnoxious company were the Iiulians, then verv
numerous in the land, and reL;"arded with much distrust and fear
by the settlers beb.re they became used to them. Sometimes
:i number of dusky braves, much to the terror of the women and
children, would come to a cabin, jieer in at the window or door,
walk into the room unbidden and, drawini;- their blankets about
them, sit in a row aL,''ainst the wall iqioti the iloor, sniokinu' their
long- stone pipes in silence. Then, risini,'-, by si^-ns and Indian
speech, they would ask for somethiiif^- to eat, which usually
would be yfladly i^riven in order to 'j;vi ride of them. After
awhile every settler jirovided himself with a ,l;-oim1, savag-e watch
dog-, which the Iiulians always res])ected, and tlicy ne\-er ap-
proached a house so protected without first calling- at a distance
for someone to take charge of the dog-, which from relig-ious ven-
eration, the red man seldom killed. When on a drunken spree or
when holding their wild dancing feasts, the Indians were very
noisy and demonstrative, and id'teii in the weary watches of the
night would the pioneer shudder as he heard the tumult of their
savage revelry.
One beautiful moonlight night in Jidv as our two PUireka
friends were sitting in their caliiii with Owen Koberts and Mor-
ris Lewis, who had just arri\-ed. they were startled liy the most
blood-curdling yells and shrieks in the directicni of an Indian
camj), situated about a (|uarter of a mile distant. Kunning out,
they could see that the whole Indian village was in the wildest
conimoti(ni. Men and women running, leaping and yelling,
like ra\-ing demoniacs, and beating iqion kettles, ]ians and In-
dian drums, with a hul>bLd) lil<e iiandenionium, just broke loose.
Our fri-)ntiersmen sjient a night of terror in tlieir hut, expecting
every moment to lie murdered bv the savages who. all night
longf, with unabated furv continued their hideous riot. When
morning- came, liowe\er, ;l11 was smiling and ]ieaceful, with<ait
:i sound to be heard. During tlie day an Imlian boy, dispdsed
to cultivate the aciuaintance cd' the pale-faced strangers, jiaid
30 ' TIIK WICI.SH IX :\iINNi:SOT.\.
uproar. "'Sick, so hi^-'" i moasurini;- almut two feet from the
g-roiuul with his hand i. was the hiconic reply. They linally un-
derstood that a jiappoo^e had been taken very ill the previous
night, and the savages thought that the Evil one was prowling
about trying to steal its soul, and the noise was made to scare
him awa}'.
Thus amid Indians, w.dves, niosijuitos, and wild nature in
general, our sturdy pioneer began the work of bringing the sav-
age wilderness into a ei\ ili/.ed subjection. A great work, too, it
was — much greater than we ni today can ever ajipreciate. No
houses, no lumber, no lields, no fences, no farming implements,
no seed, no schools, no churches, no highways, no i)ridges. no
mills, no biod, n<j towns wherein to buy the necessaries of life.
and no r;iil\va\- to brinu;- in a few hours these things from afar;
but with a slow o\-teani ph.ddiiig throu^-h the tall grass of the
prairie and the thick, tangled underbrush ( d" the unbroken for-
est — now fast in some boUondess slough, and having to carry
on his back- the buid and wau'nn out by piece meal— now descend-
ing at the jieril of his neck into some ravine, and again with
much labor climbing the steep precipice out of it- here having
a narrow escape from drowning- in attemptini,'- to ford a river —
there alni<ist dashed b) pieces by the ui>setting of the wagon
over the ]>reci]iit<ius edge (d' some narrow hill-side trail ever
from one adventure and peril to another on the long, long jour-
ney of one hundred miles to St. I'aul after a little Hour and ])ro-
visions. Three weeks are spent going to this nearest market
and back, witlmut shelter froiTi summer's heat and rain, and
from winter's cold and stormy bliz/ard. lie may perish in the
snow and storm ; his family in the little bark-roofed shanty far
off in the wilderness may i)ensh from cidd an<l hunger.
All honor to the sturdv pioneer I Worthy are they of long
remembrance 1 Nobly they suffered bravely they struggled in
the strife with savage nature and savage men ; and one by one,
ere scarce the battle ceased, they fell-covered with the scars of
toil and hardship, leaving to us, who follow, tlu; fruits of their
glorious victory, in happy homes, fields, smiling with cultiva-
tion, and a rich i)ros]ierous commonwealth. The modern pio-
neer, however, jireceded bv railroads, telegraphs, and all the
modern conveniences, knows nothing of pioneer life forty years
ago, when all these things were not.
Our two friends of the Eureka settlement began farming
with an ax, a grub-hoe, and a tmshel of i>otatoes. With the ax
and hoe thev cleared a small uatch <if ground in the brush.
'- -^-. /
N,
■ ■■ ' %■ i
Thos. Y. Davis.
MANKATIl, MINS.
t*i^_.
;/
^ s^%
N
-iLA i ,,„-J
Morris Lewis.
LATE OF lASIUKIA, MIN
^.1 ■ .,; \
' ' -
'"%
"^
5
\
-.;
---
Humphrey Jones.
LATE (IF .HI. SON, MINN.
^^feC-^
i "^;
i' ■ A*-=si -*^ t
V
'' 7%.. V
^ ;.,'"'_' ■■
■ ->
i
f
Owen Roberts.
JUDSON. MINN.
EARLY WELSH SETTLERS OF JUDSON AND VICINITY.
1
I- i.' ^
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X '^ -^
1
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■■■' : W-m !i^ K'
i v^ Ai *- JLi^;,^^,
r
^r~ ~ '' " 'i ""'T' ^^PSr-
1
A
_< «
Residence of Humphrey J. Roberts, Judson, Min
Residence of Rev. Thos. E. Hughes, Cambria, Hinn
TIIIv WIU.SII I.N MIXNl'.SOTA. 31
where the sdil was loose, ami there planted their ]>otatocs. Just
below them in the Juclson valley a few families of Americans
and Swedes had settled the preeediii-" autLimn. One of these,
named Hill, our Welshmen hired with his team to meet a boat
at Traverse and hrinL;- u\> s.)me jirovisions for them. They
bought three barrels of Hour for SIS. on jut b,-irrel. It was mis-
erably black stuff, but in lieu. if somethiu-- better it answered the
purpose. They purchased a lew other thini,'-s, also ; but salt
they could not L^et for love or money, and hence they had to do
without it. just as the French at fort Le Iluillier had been ob-
lig-ed to live minus the same commodity, and just us the Indians
during- all the centuries had done without it. At first it made
them very sick, but after becomiuL;- us,d to food without this
common article of seasonini;-, thev -'ot alon;;- very well. For
meat they caug-ht prairie ciiickensand partridi^'es in traps, as
the}' were not ]iro\ided e\en with the proVLrbial pioiu'cr riilc.
The late Humphrey .loues built his rcsi.Knce upon the iden-
tical s])ot where his lirst cabin stood, .md he and Thomas
Y. Davis hived to t;ilk of the i^ood old time when they lirst
batched it to^-ctlier in .liKKon, and maiiv were the adventures
they had to relate. Sundav. M.iy 27. the two took a w.ilk into
the /c/ni iiiro-^iiilti further up the .Minnesota river, as far as the
western ed<;-e <if the pre-^ent town (d' C'ambria. There they dis-
covered the bottom land known as the "Little I'rairie."
(Prairie Ilach i. also Cambria creek ami the Little t'otton wood.
and the Ioul;- neck id^ upland prairie between the two streams.
where Horeb church now stands. This strip of prairie from
half a mile to a mile in width, wedi^ed in between the tw.i belts
of timber, was, they thounht, the most beautiful spot they had
ever seen. Lar^'e spreading;" oal; tr.'cs standing- sinifly and in
g-rou]>es like hirdly sentinels (d the place, clumps of \va7x\ bushes
and red-topped sumach, and small LTrox es of dainty poplar, were
scattered over the prairie as if by desi|;-n. while the dovetailin--
of prairie and woodland and the deep indentures and recesses
winding- far into the forest like the avenues of a mighty laby-
rinth, g-ave the ajipearance (d' a uuiLj-niricent park.
About the latter j.art of .May. 1S5.-, D.ixid J. Williams and
family arrived at St. Paul from P-radbird. Pa. There they met
Morris Lewis and Da\id L.vaiis the former from Pennsyl vani.i
and the latter from Ohio liolh bound, like themselves, for Ku-
reka. They all came bv boat as far as the rajiids near Traverse
de Siou.x, when the boat, because id' low water, was (d)liged to
unload and return.
IN MINNKSOTA.
Thos. D. Williams. Criffith Williams, John Williams and
Hannah Williams, the -rown u[) children of 1). J. Williams, tu-
g-ether with M,.rris Lewis and David Evans ^vent lorwanl on
foot reaching- Cayw,.„Mrs house at l-:ureka on June 1st.
The following- .M. ndav they f(;und at South Uend David A.
^^ ^ Davis and David Wil-
* I Hams (//(////■(■;•), who ha<l,
I also, recently came rroin
= near Dradford. Pa.
1 On Wednesilay, June
? l.th, Morris Lewis, Daviil
. .| Evans and David A. Da-
I 4 vis located claims in the
? S. present town of t'amljria.
6 ~. Evans in a Few months
''i I sold his claim to Wm. K.
I f, Lewis and lelt the coun-
1^ try. Williams i //nu/-
aZ/<"''^'- :iiid his sons after
u I lookiuLT over the country
= F on both sides of the river
•^ -I final ly on J une '< t h,
^ I Ixnight a claim on the
I £ Nicollet side, a mile west
^ ;h of Eureka townsite.
5 i About the i:th of
1/) ^
J- I June, John K. Da\is and
■^ I family arrived in Judsoi,
^ i from ];i,L;- Kock, 111., and
1 t for a few days stai.l at
*■ I the shanty of William C.
£ Williams, Juds,.n, while
i erecting- on their claim. in
.= the |)resent town of Cam-
g bria, one of the fashioii-
2 able mansions of t"he
^ day. The architectural
Two forked posts were put u]i
vas laid on them, at^-ainst
, were idaced a number of drv
■red with hay, excei)t one end
nket was hung bir a door. This was
town of Cambria, and John E. Davis
Mrs. John E. Davis.
FIRST WHITE WOMAN IN TOU N IIF CAMBRIA. MINX
■^
1/
Wm. Harris
LATE OF ( AMllKIA, M
m
5alem Consrejiational Church.
CAMDHIA. MINX.
THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA. 35
and family wore the first residents. Soon after this Morris
Lewis and David A. Davis built the second mansion in this
town. It ectisisted nl" a hole in the hillside, a hay-stack
roof and a hasswoml 1,.^- front. Here the two pioneers dwelt
The very lirst Simd.iy after liis arrival iJune 17, lS5Si John
E. Davis o-athered the few settlers tog-ether at the cabin of
Humidircy Jones and started a Sa]ibath school— the tlrsL in the
town of Jndson. Mr. Davis acted as superintendent, and Mor-
ris Lewis tau-dit the IJible class. .V few weeks later this school
was more fully organized with David J. Kees, avIio had just .ir-
rived from I'onieroy, C)., as suiierinlendeut, and Wm. IC. Davis
as secretary.
About "the Sth of July, David J. D.ivis and David J. 'Wil-
liams came from Palmyra, ().. and located claims in the bottom
lands three or four miles still farther west, at the mouth ..f ibe
Little Cottonwood. Davis immediatelv returned for the famil-
ies, while Williams remained to fit up a shanty and cut hay. A
pony, which they had brought with tlu-m to ride alternately on
the way. Williams retained, and he rendered valual)le services
that fall in keejung up communication between the upper and
lower settlements.
Later in the same month (July i. Owen Koberts and Davitl
Y. Davis came to Juds,.n from l'..mer<.y. Ohi.). The latter
having: taken a claim between I'ambria creek and the
Cottonwood, on the U]ilanii ])rairie, where was the g-;irden spot
of our tw<i Sunday explorers, returned to ( )liio ; the former took
a claim in Judson .md tarried with Humphrey Jones and
Thomas Y. Davis.
In September. David T. Davis and tamily, from I'.ig Rock,
111., settled in Ju.lson. John Watkins and William J.nies about
this time returned to their claims, briiiLring their families.
Monday, ()ctol)er 1, lS.s5, Kev. Jenkin Jenkins arrived at
St. Paul, on his- way to visit the Welsh settlements. There he
met Thomas J,.nes" , _]/ar> J/,/:.v^ and John Pugh, who hail
come to St. Paul after Hour, meat and other provisions for South
Kcnd. They were als,, joined bv Hugh J. Koberts an.l Henry
Jones, and that evening the live Welshmen t. >ok the same boat for
South licnd. It had lieen a dry summer, and the river was very
low, so that the boat coidd make but little prog^ress. Mr. Jen-
kins, however, beguiled the lediousness .,1 the journey by com-
posing a poem to Hugh and Henry on their first visit to .Minne-
sota. On the afterno.m of the 4th of October, the boat stopped,
THE WELSH IN' MINNESOTA.
having- failed i>> ])ass the rapids near Traverse. It was neces-
sary to bear tidings ni this to South Bend that nig-ht, in order to
have teams sent for the Hour and provisions. On Mr. Puyh fell
the lot, and Jenkins and Koberts volunteered to accompany !iim.
They reached the Blue Earth late at nig-ht, and failed to tind
the hut of the Gernian
boatman. After tr;unp-
ing throug-h the woods
until midnight, John A.
Jones in his cabin on tlie
other side of the river
heard them halloing, and
rising from his bed went
to their aid. Learning
that they were Welsh
:n men, he plungeil into the
r cold water and swam o\er
■> — "for ford there was
^ none" — and led our tired
friends to the boatman's
a"! hut, and thence in* the
Sf boat to his own cabin.
'^.^ The following Sun-
c I day, Mr. Jenkins preached
ul in English at South
a"^ licnd. He then went u])
u5 to the Cottonwood settle-
= nient to visit his old
friend John K. Da\ is, and
Hug-h J. Roberts and
Henry Jones went with
him to look for claims.
Mr. Davis showed them
the country as far as the
mouth of the Little Cot-
tonwood, and directed
Roberts and Jones to Da-
were C(mducted by Mr. Wil-
n the Cottcmwood and Cam-
ms afterwards sold bv them
Ua
thev
vid J. Williams' hut, whenc
liams to tlie upland prairie
bria creek, and located on the claims
to David v. Davis and Daniel P. Davi
The previous week Hugh R. Will
family from Wisconsin, and located
1 arrived with
Richard jMort
-■ — <
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i'
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•' )• ' -■
>■■- ,'■■
Rev. Jenkin Jenkins,
(SIIENKIN UDWWVAITIl.)
Rev. William Williams.
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Rev. Richard Uavis. Rev. Robert D. Price.
EARLY WELSH MINISTERS OF BLUE EARTH COUx\TY, MINN.
,^^.v-
pj^ M
^f
Rev. John W. Roberts.
Rev. Wm. Roberts.
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Rev. Richard (j. Jones. kRevJ RJcbard VV. Jones.
EARLY WELSH MINISTERS OF BLUE EARTH AND LE SUEUR COUNTIES, MINN.
1825708
THE WELSH rx MINNESOTA.
farm, buiklinLT his luiy hut on its southwestern corner. This
shanty and tliat of David J. Willi.nns were tlie tirst two houses
built and occupied in the western j'art of the present '.own of
Cambria.
In the ineantiiue Mr. Jenkins and J<din E. Davis had been
busv plannitii;- to locate a claim for the Lord in this new
country. In the ICurek-aor Judsoti settlement, religious services
had been held tor the first two or tliree months at the shanty of
Pluniphrev Jones, and then moved to John Watkins' cabin, be-
cause it was lar^-er and more C(jnvenient th.m any other place.
Rev. K. Davies had preachcl to them once or twic and was
about to orii-anize them prop/rly as .i church, when Kev. J.
Jenkins made his visit. As it was ,i CotiLire^ational society.
and .Mr. Jenkins a minister of that denomination, to him was
accorded the honor of or,L;-ani/inL;- this, the first church in the
town of Judson. the tirst .lenominational church west of the
Blue Karth, .md at present the olde-t Welsh church in the state.
-The or?,'-anix.ition to,,k ])lace Oct.iber 14, ls.~.s, at the house (d
John Watkins. The hand ol fellowship was -iveii to thirteen
members, and the two de.icims chosen were John K. Davis and
David T. Davis. Immeiliately after .ir-anizin,tr this church.
Rev. J. Jenkins returned to Illinois to prepare for moving- out to
the settlement in the spriuL,^.
October 'ith, Kev. William Williams, who had visited the
country the preceilim;- June, came with his familv, and bouirlit
a claim in Judson. In the same innnth I^\an J. Davis and his
^mother, his brother-in-law, Ileiirv llui^rhcs, and family, and the
family of Owen Roberts arrived toi;-ether from I'omeroy, Ohio.
The Minnesota beiiiL,'' unn.ivi^-able b\- reason of low water, at
.St.-Paul they had to hire a team, which brou^rht them to Trav-
erse de Si(}u.\ ; l)ut the <lri\er refused to i^o further, sayin.^r he
did not know tlie w.iy. LcLvinLf the women and children, there-
fore, at Traverse, e.irly next morniny (October 27) the two men
started afoot bir the city oi' lUireka. tifteen miles distant: in
whose vicinity on the opi)osite side of the river was the Welsh
settlement. From the prominence L;-i\en it on maps and the
^lowiny accounts they had heard and read of it, our pioneers
had been led to believe that ICureka was a great city.
Alter followinii;- Indian trails all day, late in the afternoon they
ca.me to a valley on the Minnesota ri\er where they expected to
And Eureka. Turnini^' b> a very primitive Io.l,'- hut with a still
more primitive blacksmith slio]) attached, they iiKpiired the way
to Eureka. The Swedish smitli cuuld talk no En-rfish, but
36 THE W'-'I.SH IX MIXNI'.SOTA.
pointoil <l(>\vn the valley to a h<ix shanty, lari^cr than coininoii,
standing- on the river hank. (roinu^-to this house they a-ain
inquired the way and distanee to luireka. A numher of persons
were at supper in the room at the time, one of whom ]iercei\ini,r
from Mr. Ilu^^-hes" limg-ue that he was a Welshman, jumped up
and shouted in Welsh: "Faehi,'-en, yr wyt ti ynddi p.an yn y ty
yma." (Bo}-, you are in it when in this house). The person
who made this surprising- atitiouneenient was Evan Bowen, \yli(>,
with his family, had newlv arrivi'd from Pennsylvania, and
claimed on the Nicollet side of the river, adjoining the
family of Williams i /JnnZ/or,/ ). The house l.elon-ed to
H. Caywood, sole owner and occuiKint of the great Eureka
townsite. Crossing the river in a skiff, rowed by a strong bare-
footed Welsh maiden ' then probably the belle of Eureka i, our two
travelers f.mnd Thomas Y. D.ivis'i E. J. Davis' brother), Owen
Roberts, ilumphrey Jones, and others, at a log- raising for Kev.
William Williams. fCarly Monday mo^^ing^ a wagon with
old Buck and Berry, an ox-team which several of the Judson
settlers had combined to purchase for breaking their lands, was
dispatched to Traverse after the families.
Earlv in Xovemtier. Dasid J. Davis returned, bring'-ing his
family and David J. Williams' mother and his brother,. Daniel
L. Williams- the other brother, William J. Williams, having
come a few weeks prior. At the Winnebago Agency, fifteen
miles below Maiikato, the bread supply became exhausted, and
Mr. Davis bought a corn bread loaf of a Winnebago s.piaw.
The lilthy ajipearance of this dusky matron prejudiceil the
women a<j^ainst her bread and they would not touch it. Arriv-
ing at Mankato, Davis searched every house in that city then,
and failed to find a hiaf of bread for sale, and so South Bend had
to be reached before any could be obtained. The Davis and Wil-
liams families passed the fall and winter in a shanty, originally
built by some steamboat wood-choppers, about two miles above
the mouth of the Cottonwood on the Frazer claim.
In November, also, Kev. Wm. Roberts from Waukesha,
Wis., first visited the country. With him came John Owens
(73' Coed), who, having jnissed much of his life among- the
higher classes in England as steward, had imbibed many of the
notions and eccentric ways of the typical John Bull. From St.
Paul to Mankato the two had t.i foot it. At the latter place
they met Mr. Roberts' old friend and neighbor, ICvan II. Evans,
who, in his lumber wagon drawn by two ox-teams, took them
through the nuul of the sloughs and the deep waters of the Blue
;
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David J. Davis
John Shields.
^' ^ ^
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David J. Williams.
NV m. J. VVilliani.s
EARLY WELSH SETTLEKS OF CAMBRL^ MINN.
David S. Davies.
/
..... J
Kichard Roberts
Owen Morris.
EARLY WELSH SETTLERS OF CAMBRL\. MINN.
THE WELSH IX MIXXKSOTA. o/
Earth to South IIcikL The hanlshii'^ of the way and the wild-
ness of the country had hmi; put -\[r. ( )wcns upon the silent \nn-
nacle of offenck'd diLrnity ; hut when S.aith Hend linally burst
on the view — a miserable collection >n half a dozen shanties in
the little valley below— so different from the maj^'-niticent city
expected, then the volcano (;f his wrath could be re-
strained no loni,'-er, but burst forth with sucli an exitlosiou
of oaths as almost scare.l poor Evans .mt of his wits, b.r he had
half susjiected tlie line ajipearini,'' old LTentieman of beini; a min-
ister or a deacon at least. The very next morning"-, Mr. ( )wens
commended South IJend to the care of his majesty of the nether
world, and in hii,'-h dud^'eon took his departure forever from the
barbarous land. I>;ev. William Kobert> took a more charitable
view of the country, made a claim in ih.e Jutlson settlement and
tarried with his friend in South Bend until the followini,'- sprini;-,
when he departed n(jt ayain to return for three years.
A few years prior to this time a number of Welsh farmers in
Jackson county, Ohio, had embarked in the iron industry and
built a furnace, called .[efferson t^urnace. To make iron they
found to be easy enoui.'-h. but to dispose of it when made was not
so easy, and they soon had stacks of it on hand. Financial
embarrassment was the natural result. Many of them
having- risked their all in the enterprise, bei^^an to be really
scared, and determined to sell out their shares at once before the
crash came, :md move in :i colony to some western country.
The reading- of Kev. Kichard Davies' articles first attracted their
attention towards Minnesota. Mr. Davies had ministered a
short time in Jackson, so they were accjuainted with him, but
they had been acquainted more recently with Edward 'J'homas.
St., whose pri\-ate letters linally induceed them to sendacom-
tnitteeof six to view the c<iuntry. This committee. consistiiiLT of
David P. Davis, Richard Mor-an, James Morg-an, Th.)mas J.
Jones {Cooper), John I. Jones and Evan Williams, came to
South Bend on the Sth of October, 1S55, and havin<r spent a
month spvini;- the land, and havini,'- bnui^ht a few lots in the
villaye. all save James Moryan returned to Ohio well ideased,
and y^reat was the talk throu.Lrh the settlements that winter
about the big- colonv expected from Jackson in the si)rinL;-.
On Christmas. 1S55, occurred the first Christian marria^•e
in the Ju(lson-]']ureka settlement. The contractin.ir i)arties were
Wm. C. Williams and Miss Hannah, dau-hter of David J. Wil-
liams [Ih-iulford).
Among- other events, which occurretl during tlu' year 1S55,
I
' 38 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
were: the org-imization of South IJend asaschi.ol district, i No. ."^, )
on the fifth of Jainiarv; the teachiu-- of the first school by Mrs.
Joshua Barnard at her own house durin.i;- the summer : th'e huiUl-
ing- of the lirst school house in the fall, near where the i>resent
residence of David P. Davis stands, in South Bend villag-e ; the
' first ''icict" (church meeting) held November 14th; the erection
of a saw mill in the villatre by D. C. Evans and William K.
Price; the establishment of a iiostoftice with M.Thompson as
: postmaster ; the building- ot a bri<li,'-e over the Blue J^arth by the
; United States government at a cost of Slo.ooo ; the layini,'- out
! of the South Bend and Judson hi',-"!
; election held October '»th, at whic
out of the 137 cast in the county.
ciety was organized at D. C. E\ an^
held weekly meeting's rcLi'ularly th
school house. D. C. Evans or Ke\
and Edward Thomas, Sr., had char
was the interest taken in these mee
ers were Evan Evans \l'iiiil), D. C.
Sr. and Edward Thomas. Jr. This ^
ous life for a number of years. All
day were discussed in it with pknty
pie used to gather in their i.ix teams 1
country round for a distance ol ,^ or (
Early in April, 1S3<,, Davi.l and 1
father, settled in Juds<in. April 1'
to the settlement, britiijini^- John
and Richard Thomas with him from Pomeroy, O., Iiut none
of these made claims except Kichard Thomas, who staked
out the present Da\id Morris farm in Cambria. He,
however, did not tarry long-, for ou the morrow, going
ujion his place to work, he spied up in a large tree
a rude box, containing the remains of an Indian infant,
which so territled him that he ran all the way to his boarding
place in Judson, six miles away, and refusing even to stay o\er
night, made the best speed possible back to (_)hio, not .again to
return for ten years. As for the Indian coftin, a storm even-
tually blew it down — the contents disappeared, and, finally the
box was taken by Mr. Henry Hughes, to make a window casing-
for his cabin.
s and fiimily arri\ ed from Pome-
. On the loth of May, IS.^f,, the
;kson, ().. Ian. led at South Heiid,
vav on
October 2(
1 ; and an
South
P.end cast 22 votes
his fal
, als,.. a li
terary s,,-
louse ;
t South Bt
nd, which
ugh th
e winter a
t the new
K. Da
is usually
presided.
e of th
J singing- ;
and great
ng-s.
The jirinci
-al speak-
. \x-AV
s, Edwar.l
Thomas,
societx
c-ontinuei
in vigor-
the "l
ve ijUestii
n^ of the
of We
sh lire, an
d the peo-
to thes
e meeting:
^ from the
. miles
Edwar.
1 Dackins,
with their
t, Davi
1 Y. Davis returnefl
r.lewi
llyn, John
Phillips
Early in Ma\
, Jo
m Sh
ielc
-, O.. and setti
■d ii
Cam
.ri
ch talke.l of o
lon\
from
J;
THE WKI.SH IX MIXXKSOTA. .^'»
after a tedious JDurnoy of four wlv'ks. TIuto were 121 souls in
all, and they came witli tlieir hau^-aire in one hir<,'-e ln.iat, whieli
was much too lar,i;-e tor the narro.v windinic stream of the Min-
nesota. At St. Paul they had l^een joined by David K. JCvans
and David Lloyti and families frMin Ponieroy, ( ). Kev. Jidm
Williams, also, met them there, ami it was exjiected and jilanned
that he should lco with the colon v a^ iheir minister, but havini^-
lost couraye he turned back to Ilii!!..is. to the i^Teat disa]>i)oint-
ment of the colonists. On their arrival in the villa^'e the hos-
pitality of South lientl was taxed tf the utmost to accommodate
SO larye a number. Some were ]ir'i-. iiied lor at a hotel kept by
John (iriftiths. A lew families f.^k jtossession of the school
house, while others were (|uartered at jirivate houses. On the
first Sunday after their arrival, a i>r.iyer meetiiiLT was held in llu'
open air near IJ\ii 'I'c-^id, in tlu- merninu'. antl a Sabliath schocd
in the afternoon in Kvans lV PriceV mill. Kev. Rich-
ard Davis was to jireach in Soutii IJend that day. but it liai>-
pened that David .1. Williams witli I-.i^ jiony came after him to
preach at John IC. I>a\ is' house to tiie ie\\- settlers scattered o\er
the Cottonwooil settlement, and tiii--. liy the way. was the lirst
sermon and reli.L^ious service in liu i)resvnt town ol C'ambria.
On the second Sunday our colonists held all their nieetini;s at
Evans & Price's mill, and this time Rev. Richard Davis preached
to them.
The colony had intended to settle toi^relher, but the lands
alon<f the timber belts havinj^- fuen mostly taken u]i, their ])lans
were g-reatly disconcerted. The ^rreat prairie country which to-
day is thickly settled was in tlio-,e .lays considered uninhabita-
ble, and our C(donists spent two ..r three weeks walkint;- the
country over, lookinir in vain for tin.iccuined claims adjoininn'
the timber.
David \\. Kvans, who came with the Jackson C(dony, was an
old acquaintance of Thos. Davis, wiio h;id settled in Le Sueur
county the year previous, comiiiir irMm the same place in Ohio;
and in company with Lewis P. Junes, he went to ])ay him a visit.
While there they were fully i)ersuaiied by D.avis that the j-rojier
place to locate the colony was in the V,vs Woods, and s.. returned
to their comjianions at South Kend sayinir they had found the
promised land. About a dozen families after viewini;- the place
were favorably imjiressed with it. and, locatint^" claims, mo\ed
their families u]>on them durini,'" the last week in May. This
settlement, known as the \\\^^ Wm,„1s ,.r Le Sueur, is about
three miles broad and extends al»>ut live miles in lenij-th
4(» TlIK WEI.SU [X MIXNKSCiTA.
along- the boundary line, cast antl west, between the towns of
Sharon and Cleveland. Anumi,'- those of the eidonv, who settled
there, were: Edward Morris, Thus. J. Jones. John D. Jones,
(saddler), David K. Evans, David Jones. David and Lewis Hutches,
David Lloyd, Wm. E. Jones, Evan T. Jones, David and Evan
Morgan and Evan Griffiths. Edward Morris, who had
been the Moses of this Jackson exodus, remained in the new
settlement, hi.iwever, only a few weeks, when, hurriedly packing-
his bagg-ag-e, he returuLd with his family post haste to their oiil
home in Oak Hill, O. The cause of his sudden departure, it is
said, were the mosquitos, which, tlioug-h. they belonged not to
the sons of Anak, were to the early settler fully as formidable..
Another i)ortion of the colony located in the Cottonwood
neighborhood, among whom were: Ke\-. David Davis, David P.
Davis, David Price, John Walters, \Vm. P. Jones, Kichard Mor-
gan, James Morgan and Tlios. Llovd. This, as well as another
fraction of the colony which settled near Minneojia creek, had
to purchase claims. The Jackson emigranls wt-re well ;ible to
do so, however, as they were for the most p:irt liberallv supplied
with money from the sale of their farm
The Jackson families, who selected hom
-were: Evan Williams, Thos. J. Jones
and John L Jones.
About the 12th of May, J. T. W:
South Bend and ojunied a surveyor's otfii
the last of June, Kev. Jenkin Jenkins, 1
Evans (Circk]. with their families cai
and settled in the Cottonwood neighborh
this year, far too numerous to mention.
migrants had been more or less influenc
b}- the articles of Rev. K. Davies in the papers and magazim.
Perhaps the pictures of the new country drawn by our friet
were a little too highly C(dored, he writing under the ins]iir
tion of a western boom; or perhaps the imaginations of the ii
migrants were a little too vivid. Be that as it may, the majc
ity seem to have expected to find populous cities in the wilde
ness, and churches and sclniol houses g-rowinL^- wild like liax
bushes along the hill sides. Finding tliemselves greatly mi
taken, however, many were inclined to lind fault. Some tilti
the pen with Rev. Da\ies in the pajiers. others by word
mouth only berated the c<iuntry. T'eojile from southern Oh
>aid the climate was too cold to live in : while one in p.irtieul
from northern Canada declared it w.is too li..t, .md ■■ruiiibleil b
an(
pr<
per
tv
n Ohio.
^ ne
ir .\
inneo]
a creek,
coo
ler 1
Is
lac
Woods,
ian
s. I
:s<i.
landed at
in
t Ik-
■ill;
ge
About
vid
Mo
-ris
an
1 Thos.
• fr
im
;i?;-
R
.ck. 111.,
k1.
Ma
ny
ith
ers came
.Mo
^t ,.f
the
\\'
elsh im-
to
com
e ti
M
nnesota
Tine WKI.Sn IN MINNKSOTA. 41
cause the yrass i,'Tc\v so tall in the valleys, that one could iKjt
travel but a short distance in a day. The settlements, ne\-erthe-
less, continued to ]irosper throui^ii L;'""d report and evil rejiort.
and people came rusliinu' in from all -ides like a lloml.
Durin",'- the summer of 1,S55 and ■5<.. most of the settlers
managed to luive a portion ai their land under cultivation.
Man}' of our Welsh jiioneers had pas-ed their days in the coal
mines, and knew nothiu','- ahout farminL;'. This was especially
true of the Eureka or .ludson settlement. Half a do/.en of our
would-be grangers would join together their o.\ teams before one
breaking plow. A certain one more self-im])ortant than the
others, because tra.lition said that his L;-reat grand-father had
been a farm steward amoULT the hills of Cardiganshire, would
act as boss, and to him would be accorded the ]>lace of lujiior be-
tween the plow-h:mdles. Two or three <d' the weightiest imli-
viduals would be ranL,'-ed along the beam to keeji the phiw in the
ground, while two or three others with huge whi]ps drove the
oxen. They were usually a jolly crew, and there' was much fun,
much storv-telling. much arguiuLT nf theoloi^rieal jioints, much
noise, much ([uarreling, and, occasionally, a little jilowing done.
Many amusing incidents are told of these unsophisticated
grangers. One planted his ])otatoes in a hea]) in one hill ; an-
other seeded his land with coclcle in mistak-e for turnips, and
another still, shocked his grain with the butts of the bundles
upward, insisting there was no sense in leaving the heads out
in the weather.
It did not re(]uire much machinerv to farm in those davs.
A scythe f(jr hay and :i cradle for grain were the most approved
harvesting tools, and these in the han<]-> of (Uir stout collier f)oys
had a most vicious habit of getting- among the roots of things,
just as a pick or shovel might.
The first crop raised consisted of corn, buckwheat and ]iota-
toes; which at the planting and liar\estiii^- required all the \igi-
lance of the settler and his family to Ljfuard against the gophers
and blackbirds, which then, were a jila^-ue in the land. In those
daj-s he was a l)ig farmer who rai-ed tifty Inishcls of grain.
Even as late as is.^'i the agi;-regate amount of wheat raised in
the three Welsh townships. South r.eini. Judson and Itutternut
Valley, was only .^.7:4 bushels. In t!u-e days a single farmer
would not think much of raisinir that ouantity with a good com-
plement of oats and corn besides.
Durint,'- the same ye.ir < 1S3'> ^, tlie >ame three towns ]iro-
42 THK WKLSII IX ^IIXNl':.SOTA.
bushels of potatoes. Twenty years later, i 1S7')), the same
towns produced 142, 27S l.usliels of wheat, IIKS'K. bushels of
oats, and 74,71'i bushels of eorn. Corn meal, often ^Tound in a
coffee mill, and made into Johnny vake or hasty puddiuLT, formed
the pioneer's staple article of diet for several vears. In bS.^.S
and "od, when our pioneers were buyinir their seed .and tludr
stock, the prices were all hi^h. Wheat was S2. ni) to S2.5ii ]ier
bushel, corn, potatoes, and other jiroduce SI. (Hi jier bushel.
Cattle were worth .-50 to Smi a head, and even a cat could not be
had for less than S,5.i)ii dollars. I!v the time our settlers had
somethin^r to sell, however, the prices had declined to a mere
nominal sum in trade.
April S, 1S5(,, on ]ietition of Kev. \Vm. Williams. Kobt. Pat-
terson, Chester D. Hill, Owen Roberts, and others, a new elec-
tion precinct was established, to comprise all the territory west
of South Uend precinct to tlu county line. At the su^-,L;estion ni
Robert I'atterson, the new precinct was called "Judson," in
honor of the ,i;Teat IJaptist missionary of that name. The first
officers appointed for the jirecinct were: JudLj'es of election,
Gustavus Johnson, R. Patterson and David J. Davis; Justices of
the peace, Geo. Gilley and R. I'atterson; Constables, (ius. John-
son and David J. WiUiams; Road Sui)ervisor. Morris Lewis. Of
these D. J. Davis did not serve and Rev. W'nu Williams, per-
formed the duties oi the office in his steail.
The tirst thint,^ a Frenchman does in a new country is to
build a trading- post, an .Vmerican builds ;i city, a German
builds a beer hall, and a Welshman builds a church.
So our Welsh pioneers in Minnesota jiaid their tirst attention
to the founding of churches, leaving to some chance American
in their midst to attend to the org-anixation of townships, the
establishment of postoftices, the speculating in town sites, the
forming- of joint stock and agricultural societies, and the hold-
ing of political places. There were a few Welshmen,
however, who had been so far Americanized as to form an ex-
ception to the rule, and. perhaps, just as all acpiired tastes are
more violent and ungovernable than the natural ones, they may
have carried their speculation or political schemes to an ex-
treme. Still the mass of our Welshmen, even to this day, take
no speci;il interest in anything of a purely economic or piditical
character. The genuine ('v//,'r,> can not talk two minutes
with you ab,,ut politics, the pedigree of a horse, or the
best method of tillage, but he can sit on his heels by the
li-ur, and with beiimiiii;- countenance, till the i)oints of a "-ood
"T fTJ
cV'^^
<H't>
-.i _ej£^
.i»&L
thf; wia.sii in mixnf.:sota. 4.s
sermon or argfue ;i knottv tlic(il(n^ic;i] il<>g"nia. In politics he is
almost invariabh' a republican, hut si'ldoni cares to reason why,
and often could not if he cared : but he can tell you why he is a
Methodist, Coii^-renationalist or Baptist, even to the must sub-
tle distinctiniis.
Thoug-h ]ire-eminfnti\- a nation i>i church builders, there
are yet a few other things in which the Welsh take an interest,
such as poetry, music anil oratory, but these must be of a reli^--
ious turn- the themes e\-en (if an /{/s/ci/i/zci/ must bear a scrip-
tural character. The ancient Brit(m told his history- in Triads.
Should the modern Britrm imitate his exam])le foremost amoni;-
his Triads v.-ould be these: The three tifreat social or'fanizations
of the Welsh- the Church, the Sabbath school, and the T.ible so-
ciety ; the three i^rrcat institutions for culture -the /iis/cdilzocl,
the literary society. ^ ('v faifod Llciixddol,) and the sing-in<4-
school ; the three pinacles cd' every Welshman's ambition — the
pulpit, the bardic chair anil the musician's baton. In the chan-
nels of these national traits llowed. naturally, the history of our
pioneer Britons in the wilds of Minnesota; and it is in these
channels we must b.Uow to lind it.
The people from .lackson, ().. were almost exclusively Cal-
vinistic Methodists, liaxiny:' orig'inallv come fritm near Llanyei-
tho Cardig-anshire, the Mecca of Welsh Methodism, and the home
of the imm(.)rtal Kowlands. The Wisccmsin people, als(.), were
nearly all of the same denominatii^)n and had emigrated in the
first place from Ang-lesea and North Wales. As these tw<i
branches of immigration constituted the main Iiodv of the set-
tlements in lS.s(,, they determined their religious character, and
fixed the doctrines of D.miel Kowlands and John Elias as the
leading church doctrines of the Minnesota Welsh.
The Jackson people located in the Cottonwood settlement
during the first two weeks in June, and about the second or third
Sunday of this month the first religious service in this settle-
ment was held at a shanty occupied by Mr. John Shields, but
belong-ing- to David Y. Davis, and situated near Kev. Thos. K.
Hughes' present residence. On the 2d of July, at the shantv of
David P. Davis, Esq., near where now stands the h<nise of Dan-
iel P. Davis, was organized, by Kev. Kichard Davis, the first
Calvanistic :Methodist church <d' Blue Karth county. It was
called "Iloreb," after a church (d' that name in Jackson, ()., to
which many of its people belonged. On the same day, at the
same place, and by the same minister was performed the lirst
Christian marriage in this ujiper settlement, namely, the mar-
44 THE WKi.SH i.v :Mix\:;so'rA.
riairc of James }>[(.ryan U, Miss .Mary Davis, daui^rhtcr ..f D. P.
Davis, Esq. By the way, it may he mentioned here witli the
first marriai^-e and other hrst thiny's of the Cottonwood neiy^hhor-
hood, that the first eliild born in this settlement was Cath-
erine, daughter of D. J. Davis, in the sprini;- of 1S57 ; and the
first death was a _young- child of David Prici-, which, beini^- left
aloue for a few minutes in the claim shanty, while the parents
were busy movini4- from this to a new cabin, manag-ed to set fire
to itself and the shanty, and was so badly injured that it soon
died. This sad event occurred about Auyust, 1S5(..
During- the summer of 1S56, relig-ious meetinL,'"s were rei^f-u- ]
larh- held at D. P. Davis' shanty before mentiimed, except two ©'
or three times, when thev were convened at the shantv of John ^
r/i
Shields. DuriuL;- the fall and winter the services were usually =•
held at D. P. Davis' new shanty, which was located near the 3
present John Kees' place, and at John Walter's cabin on the o
"Little Prairie." c
In the si>ring- of 1S57 they were held at ICvan D. Kvans' ~
house on the present Jas. A. Thomas' farm, where they coiitin- t£>
ued until a church was built. In those early days Ke\'. David 5
Davis preached frc<juently for this church, ami Kev. Richard a ^
Davis visited them occasionally in his circuit. r :
The first reliunous service in the Di-" \Voo<ls was held at the x
house of Edward ICvans, Sr.. on Sunday, the 2.^th of May, IS.^o. |
when a number of the Jackson people were there viewins^ the "^
land. On the 2d of June, this contini,'-ent of the Jackson colony §
returned to Le Sueur with their families. Two of these, namely, ~
David Lloyd and Davi.l IC. Lvans found shelter in a carjienter \^
shop beloniiini^- to one Seth Cadwalader. In this shop were ?
regfularly helil, thereafter, all the religious services for three or • ■
four months. Here on June 22d was preached the first Welsh |
sermon by Eev. Richard Davis, and here two days later was or- |
u-anized the first Calvinistic Methodist church in Minnesota.
Kev. 1). Davis preached occasionally for these people in those - ■,
early days. After about three months the place of worship was '. \
changed from Cadwalader's shop to David E. Evans' shanty, ^ ]
where it remained until the buildiui,'- of the loy church in the
summer of 1SS7.
At South ISeiid the I'niim church still flourished ; but the
people alono- Minneopa creek bei^'an to reL;-ard themsehes as a
separate comnuinity. and, having- been re-inforced by a fraction
i>f the Jaclrson colony, now thouudit it time for them to assert
- ^ - -•,'s..- ' > rT'
i:^-
•>%
''^'L'
V*-A^
; .-^
*~rr, J:U
:^^:
^^. ixl^'^^lt
^
^ IP
M
Km Shi >
^ ., :- v. YC^Vi?^? ^V ^-«a^i
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 43
Accordingly, on tliu 'Uli nf July, the recjuired six month's notice
of their intention to withdr.iw. was served upon the T'nion
church. About the Ist of Seiiteniher, a nieetinir of the heads of
familiesof the Calvinistic .Methodists was lidd in the Minneopa
neighborhood at which meeting it was decidetl to have a (|uar-
terl}- meeting of that denomination on the 8th and ''th of Octo-
ber. On the .1(1 of October the new church was organized by
Rev. Richard Uavies, at the house of .T.din Jones, ( .)A/r.< Mazrr)
and called the "Seion Church of South llend."
The quarterly meeting was held as determined u]ion and
was the first ever held in ^Minnesota. The business meeting w;is
held at the house of Eliza Jones. ( A/acs JA/r.v', ) on a claim pre-
empted by Wni. J. Williams. The public services were held in
the open air in I). J. Lewis' grove. According to the custom of
the Calvinistic .Methodist Society, the three churches of "Seion,"
"Horeb" and "Saron" wi.Te united into one conference, and
eleven Elders were admitted: from "Seion," ti\e, namelv ICvan
H. Evans, Evan Evans, i /',////. , Edward Thomas, Sr., Thos. J.
Jones, (/'(ipp/r>,} and J(din I. Jones; from "Horeb," three,
namely— David P. Davis, .bdm Walters and J.dm Shields; from
"Saron," three, namely — Evan Uriffiths, Thos. J. Jones and
Rdward I'^vans. In the morning of the second day. short ad-
dresses were maile on the theme of "(;ospel Kites" by several of
the brethren. In the afternoon Rev. Richard Davis preached
from Rom. i,l(i. This service was interrupted by a yreat ]irairie
fire, which caused all the people to run to their respective homes
to save their houses, sheds and grain from the destructive ele-
ment, and desperate was the tight that afternoim around many
a cabin home.
The evening meetin- was held at the house of David J.
Lewis, when Rev. Jenkin Jenkins and R. D. I'rice preached. A
thuntlcr storm protracted this service until quite late; thus amid
fire and water was this lirst quarterly meeting in Minnesota
consecrated. The old settlers say, that in spite of all adverse
circumstances, the meetings were full of interest and lilessing,
and today they love to tell of those lirst religious feasts they
enjoyed together in the wililerness. It may l)e noted, also, that
none of the three preachers, who took part in the services of
this first quarterly meeting of the Calvinistic Methodist church
belonged to that denomination, Davies being a Presbyterian.
Jenkins a Congregationalist and Price a Wesleyan Methodist.
As there were in this \illai^'e and vicinity ;l number of ]>eo-
ple of the Wesleyan faith, it seemed desirable to them to sej.a-
46 THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA.
rate themselves from the I'nion ehurch, and, after the example
of their Calvinistic brethren, form a society- of tlieir own. Ac-
cording-ly, on October f'th, of this year, a Wesleyan church w.is
orgfanized at Wm. R. Price's house in South Bend villag-e by
Rev. R. D. Price, who became its pastor.
The Elders of this church were Ilu^'-h Edwards, Sr., and
Wm. R. Price, and the services were held for several years in
a room, or hall, fitted uji by Mr. Price on the second floor of the
Evans & Price warehouse.
On the 2.=^th of December. 1S5(., three Bible Societies were
orfj^anized ; one in South Kend. at the house of J-^van D. ICvans ;
one in the Cottonwood, at the houso of David P. Davis ; and one
in the ]!i-- \V Is, at David E. Ev;nis- house. The first officers
of the South IJend societv were: President, Rev. R. D. Price;
Vice President, John I. .(ones; Treasurer, Ev.an I'^vans, ( [\tiil) ;
Secretary, Edward Thomas. Sr. Ol Cottonwood society: Pres-
ident, Rev. D. Davirs ; Treasurer, D. P. Davics; Secretary, Rev.
J.Jenkins. Of the Di-- Woods society : President, l^van Crif-
fiths; Treasurer, Thomas .i. Jones. The first odlections
were: Cottonwood, S4(...;n; South Hend, S.sl.o.;; IJiir Woods,
St>.^..^<); makin.i,'- a total of ;si(,i».(,,;, of wliich Sl.s'i.(,7 was
sent as a donation to the New York society, which ack-
nowled>red the ^Mft 1)V a s]'ecial letter of thanks and commenda-
tion. At first the lliree societies were united and sent their con-
tributions toi^etlur in one sum ; init in 1S5S tlie union plan was
abandoned, and e\er since e.icli society has been indeiiendenl.
A membership fee ol Sl.oo was chan;'eil durini;' the first two
years, which afterward was reduced to fifty cents, and hnally all
who contributed, without rcLiard to the amount, were considered
members.
December 2.sth. 1S(,.;, the Judson and \'icinity P.ible Society
was forme<l at the house ol Owen Koberts, in the town ^^i Ju.l-
son, and the first officers were: President, Kev. K. W. Jones;
Vice President, Kev. John W. Roberts; Secretaries, K. H.
Hu-rhes and Wm. K. Jones; Treasurer, Wm. (irilllths.
Rej^ularly e\ery ye;ir since their or,Lranizati(.)n, these four
societies have held their se\er;il ;innual meetin^-s on Christmas
day. The proirram of these meetini^s has always been .about
the same. The election of officers, the hearini:- of reports, and
the business transactions of the societies, t;ike place in the
inornini,'-, while the afternoon iitid exenini^are devoted to the
making- of speeches and sini^-iuu'. The amounts ,-ollected in
each society duriuLT the period of its existence to the vear end-
THK WKI.SII IN MIXXKSOTA. 47
ing- December 25, 1S')4, ;ire as follows: Illue Earth County
Welsh (Cottonwood:, Sl.,;.Vi.o7; Judson and Vicinity, ?2.(t7(l.2S;
First Welsh i South IJcnd!, S2,2i)4.7'i; Ottawa Welsh . i;ii,r
Woods), $2, .■^110. nil. If to these amounts were added the contri-
butions of the Minneapolis Welsh Hible society, S.^2(i.4h, and of
Bristol (irove, Foreston and I^ime Sjirini^s, S2,222.s7, it makes
a total of Sl0,4()."^.77 ^nven to the iiible cause by the various
Welsh settlements. '
To return, however, to the vear IS.si,. Amom,-- the events
of this year not already mentioned were: The locating; of a
postoftice in Judson with.iidm (loodwinas iiostmaster; A]iril
Sth, the establish in i,-- of school district No. 4, mow No. f.i. in
•Judson; October f.th, the establishinj,'- of tw.i scho(d districts in
the Cottonwood nei','-hl)orhood, Nos. (. (now 11 ) and 7 (now lih;
and December loth, the layinL,-- out of Judson villa;,'-e by J, din
Goodwin and Kobert I'alterson.
The winter of 1S.^«, 7 was the coUlest ever known in the his-
tory of the state. For more than sixty consecutive davs the
mercury remained below /.ero. often i^'ettini,'" down to thirt\ .md
forty dei,'-rees below. The snow, also, was very dee]> and badlv
drifted. Poorly housed, j-oorlv clad, and jioorly fed, the suffer-
ing" of both man and beast was ;^reat. The mud-plastered cabin
of the settler afforded but sliyfht protection a<j:ainst the wintry
blast, and the small old-fashioned cook-stove i,'-aye but little
heat to the shiverin- family huddled close around it. Often on
a stormy mornin;;- would the i)ioneer awaken to find an inch or
two of snow upon his bed and cabin floor. But few of our set-
tlers had clothing- adapted for a Northern winter. The furs,
flannels and felts of today, necessity had not yet furnished.
Seldom, if ever, was an overcoat seen in tlii)s,' (hns; and the thin
low cut shoes of southern Ohio were ill-desii;ned b)r the cold ami
deep snow of Minnesota.
The story is told of one inifenious pioneer— how one Sun-
day morning- to avoid getting his shoes and stockings full of
sno-w he removed them and, placing them umler his arm, ran to
church bare-footed through the snow, a distance of about a mile.
Suffice it to say that he never tried that e.\]ieriment again, but
the next Sabbath making two ropes of hay lie wound cme about
each fo(-)t and leg up to the waist, and thus, like ancient knight
in greaves, he salHod birth defying frost and snow.
During- this winter a number of the settlers had to go with
ox-teams to St. Paul, .-i distance of a hundred miles, after Hour
and provisions, spentling- three or four weeks ujion the journey.
48 THE WKI.Sil IN JHXNESOTA.
sufferiny: untold hardships, and rcachini,'- honu- at last to find
that the last morsel of food had been eaten the day l»'fore.
On the ni.n'ht of the fifth of January. 1S57, one \Vm. Ilu-hes
and his son-in-law, Thomas, when returniiiL;- from tli<- \il-
la^e of New Uhn. were frozen to death, ami their bodies found
next day where the old Fort Ki<li;-ely road crossed IJennett ereei;,
on the present farm of Jas. 1). Price. Esij., in the town of Cam-
bria. These are the onlv cases of death l.y freezini^ in the his-
tory of the Ulue JCarth and LeSueur county settlements.
The unwonted ri,i,'-or of this memorable winter •,'-a\-e Minne-
sota a bad reputation abroad, which clini^-s to ii e\en to this d.i-,-,
and this, with the linancial crisis of that period. checke<l the tide
of immij,Tation for a time.
January h, IS.^7. the election j.recinct of Hutternut \'allev
was orj^^anized. an.l the b)llowini;- olhcers ajipointed: .ludires ni
Election. (;eo. (iillev. Rev. J. .Jenkins and D.avid J. Davis ; .Uis-
tices of the Peace. Kev. .1. .lenkins and David I'. Davis: Con-
stables, I)avi,l .1. Willi.ims ;ind 1). A. Davis: Koad Supervi-,or.
W. ]■:. Davis. At the meetini,'- preliminary to tile oriranization
a strono- edort w.is ina<le to have the precinct called '-D.ivis-
town," because its first settler had been John E. Davis, and more
than one-half .d' its inhabitants in those days happened ;ilso
to bear the name Davis. This name would likely have prevailed.
had not one Ci>\. Shaw, su^rjre.sted the name ••r.utternut
Valley," su]iportin.i,r the same' by a Ion-- and forcible speech.
He showed how much id' the precinct lay in the valleys id'
the Minnesota and Cottonwood, and how abundantly the but-
ternuts L.'-rew therein. lie waxed eloquent over the proverbial
fertility of valleys -how the very name at once carried to the
mind the ideas of richness ni soil, shelter from storms and ijuiet
repose. Then what valu<il)le timber the butternut was. ;md
how the union of two such siioo-estive names would attra.ct the
attention of emis^r.Lnts from the four corners of the i^rlobe. The
Colonel's oratory prevailed and the precinct was called "Dutter-
nut Valley." Years later another reason b)r the Colonel's
preference was discovered, not o-iveii in his oration: his
native i)lace in New York was desiLTiiated by a similar n:mie.
"What's in a name." however? Ten years later our i>io-
neers, fearing- lest the newcomers settlinL,-- upon the ]ir,urie
should outnumber and rule over them, sep.irated themselves
from them and on the sth of Mav, 1S(,7, orirani/.ed the tri:!!!!,^!-
lar fraction, lying along the .Minnesot.i ri\er, north of the town-
ship survey line into a new town called "Cambria," leaving the
THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA.
49
old name to the full township still lett to the south upon the
open prairie. Some curious anti([uarian in the aifesvet to come,
will wonder to iind a liuttcrnut valley far out on the (ipen plain,
where there is neither a valley nor a butternut within many a
mile. The same anti(|uarian, perchance, will wonder still more
to discover Ilorcb, Sfio//,
JcrmalcDi, and the rest of
ancient Palestine scat-
tered promiscuously o\-er
this western land, and he
will puzzle his scholarly
brain over the strani,'-e
anomaly of u person liv-
ing- upon the top of a hiyh
I hill bein-.called, Eiaui-y-
^ faiit, or an inhabitant of
I Minnesota, '' [o)ic> Can-
Ei ada."
5= But enou-h of Wel>h
—-I names to my historv. In
«5Februarv, 1S57, the sec-
CQ J
_5 ond quarterly meetini,'- ot
t \ the Calvinistic Methodist
— g church was held in the 1 liij
uE Woods, being- the first
E meeting- of the kind held
„ in that settlement, lie-
5 sides those before named
■^ Thomas W. Jones, John
E. Jones and William L.
Jones had located in this
neighborhood in the year
1856. These were fol-
lowed in 1S57 by Owen
Davis, David Thomas and
John Hughes.
In March, Rev. John
, settled in the Big Woods, in
With him came from La Crosse
William E. Jenkins, who located on
James Edwards and familv
Roberts from LxoTiia, W
charge (d" Saron church.
Lewis D. Lewis
Prairie Bach in Butternut \'allev.
soon follov
them. Tl
d Le^
s. Til
d Jenkins from La Crosse and
{Lal<c,\ and familv from 1'
jttled near
.ladelplna,
so THE Wf;LSH IN MINNESOTA.
David Thditias and JonIuui \Vii,r|cy from Wisconsin. Rohert and
Wm. Roberts from New York, and many others came the same
year.
THE INKPAnOf)TA WAR.
Karly in Marrli. ls,-7, ahout torty Sioux Indians of theWali-
paykootay hand, umler the leadershij) of an outhuved ehief,
named Inkpadoota. ^Scarlet Kndi. went to hunt on the Des
Moines near Spirit Lake, Iowa. One of these shot a settler's
dog- that had bitten him, and for this act the entire band were
unwisely, if not unjustly, disarmed by the settlers. This neces-
sarily caused hard feelin;,'-s on the jnirt of the Indians. They
soon re-supplied them-elves with lire-arms, and g-oins; to a house
where eleven men were winterin;,'- tos^cther, havitii,'- in charire
some cattle, they beirffeil one of the beeves for food. Under-
standin.t,^, as they claimed, that their request had been g-ranted,
they shot one of the cattle. The enrasred owner rushed to the
defense of his property and knocked one of the Indians down.
and for this insult was immediately killed by the other Indians.
The savag-es now attacke.l the other white men anrl havint,^
set tire to the shanty shot all of them, as, one b}- one they ran
out of the burning- building.
They ne.xt fell upon the unsuspecting settlers and massacred
twenty more men, women and children, and took four women
captives. This occurred on the Sth and 12th of March. After
spending- two or three -weeks feasting on the booty they had ac-
quired in this settlement, a part of the Indian band, under the
leadership of a S(m of Inkpadoota, went north to Heron Lake
and thence to the small isolated settlement of Springfield, Minn.,
(now the village of Jackson), about lb miles north of Spirit
Lake. Here Wm.AVood, from Ivlankato, had laid out a townsite
and started -a store, and a few settlers had located near by on
claims along- the Des Moines in the summer of 1856. The In-
dians camped on the east side of the river from the townsite,
and Wm. Wood and his brother went across to tra<le with them
and -were killed. The Indians next murdered a Mr. Stewart.
his -wife and two children. They also killed a twelve year old
son of James Thomas and wounded Mr. Thomas in the arm.
The remaining few settlers then rallied and drove the Indians
away. This was on the 2«ith and 27th of March.
The news of these outrages, known in history as the Ink-
padoota w:ir, reached Klue Karth county early in A]iril and
sjireail like lire through all the settlements, creating a'geiieral
THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA. 51
panic. The spj:ial liuntin.,'- t,rroiinils of these hostiles had been
the vallevs of the Blue Earth and Minnesota, where dwelt uur
Welsh people, whose fears were therefore auj^-mented.
There were g-rave apprehensions that the entire Sioux na-
tion would join in the outbreak, as the)- had many [grievances
ag-ainst the whites and the unwonted length and severity of this
winter, and the consequent scarcity of g-ame had rendered them
desperate.
At nig-ht the settlers would [^--ather t(,)yether for mutual pro-
tection — half a dozen families or more at a house, but during-
the day would again separate to their respective homes. Those
provided with firearms carried them with them wherever they
went, to work nr worship. A company <>f citizens, uf which
John C. J«iiies, of Cambria, was a member, under .bdin F.
Meag-her, as captain, went out to the W.-itonwan river in quest
of the Indians. On Sunday nidrning-, Ajiril 27th, they discov-
ered nine lodg-esof Siuu.\s encam]Kd in the timber between two
of the lakes, about two miles northeast of Madelia. The sea-
son was so backward that year that the com[iany could cross the
lake on the ice. This they did and immediately engaged the
hostiles. The battle lasted about an hour with brisk tiring
from behind trees on both sides, but it is not known that any
one was hurt. The whites then withdrew to g-et ammunition
and reinforcements, but when thev returned the Indians had
left.
In South Bend villagfe the people built a palisade around
the house of John Williams for a fort. The Judson and Kureka
settlers built a fort, also, on the Kicollet side of the ^Minnesota,
with log-s, which one McNutt had hauled tog-ether to build a
mill. It was feared that Inkpadoota and his followers would
return and that Red Iron's band w<mld join in the war, and
g-uards were kept stationed by the whites <m both sides (>{ the
river. One nigfht, when H. Cay wood was on g-uard, he thoug-ht
he saw a blanketed Indian sneaking throug-h the brush near
him and he tired at him. The shooting- created a panic at the
fort for it was supposed the savag-es were upon them. jVfter
awhile it was discovered, -howe\er. that the Indian Caywood
had shot was his own white horse, which had strayed from its
stable.
Next morning- a company from this Eureka fort went tc*
Swan Lake to confer with Chief Red Iron. David Dackins and
Gustav Ti<lland, who could speak- '^i me Sioux, were sent to tlie
villag-e to interview the Indians, while the rest of the C( mi.-uiy
52 THE WEIvSH IN MINXr.SOTA.
halted at the edg-e of the timber. Red Iron g-a\ e the messeng-ers
full assurance of peace and friendship, and the company re-
turned with their confidence in the redmen somewhat restored.
The Butternut Valley people, also, had their experience. A
larg-e band of Indians, who had been away some weeks, returned
to this town about the luth or 12th of April, causing- the terri-
fied settlers no little anxiety. They did not tarry among'- the
Welsh, however, but passed up the Little Cottonwood abdut
two miles west of the IJlue Earth county line. About thirty
Welshmen formed themselves into a company and on the 14th
of April met a like company of Germans at the house of one
Lipp, and tog'-ether, under the leadership of Rev. Peter S.
Davies, as cohmel, they marched ag^ainst the Indians.
Near the Sioux encampment was a cabin of a Uerm.-m bach-
elor named Brandt. The cabin bore evidence of having- been
plundered, but no trace that day could be found of Brandt.
The (Germans were very much excited and wanted to attack
the Indians at once, tlmug-h tlie most of them were only armed
with pitchforks and scythes lashed to long*- poles, while the In-
dians were well armed with the best rifles and outnumbered the
whites two to one. Wiser counsel at last prevailed and a com-
mittee consisting- of John S. Davis, S. D. Shaw and a German
were sent forward to confer with the Indians, while the rest of
the company kept themselves concealed behind a k)ng- wood i)ile.
The Indians disavowed any hostile intention and promised to
leave the country at once. In his excitement, the (ierman acci-
dentalh" discharg-ed his gun, which the company lying- concealed
at a distance mistook for a signal of attack, and rising- from
behind the wood pile they swept across the prairie toward the
astonished savag-es like a cj'clone, shouting- and brandishing-
their pitchforks, scythes, g-uns, etc. The dusky braves were
panic-stricken, and the heels of many moccasins were fast dis-
appearing in the direction of the brush, before the peace com-
mittee could pacif}- the tumult and explain. The Indians, how-
ever, soon folded their wigwams and dei)arted. Tlie body
of Mr. Brandt was found in a day or two in the brush back of his
cabin with two bullet holes in his head. The Indians, it seems,
had an old grudge against him.
The government sent a company of soldiers from Ft. Ridgely
after Inkpadoota and his murderous band, but they escajx-d to
the James river valley, taking- their four women captives with
them. Two of these, Mrs. Thatcher and Mrs. Noble were bru-
tally murdered by their fiendish captors, the (ither two. Mrs,
THE WELSH IN MIXNKSOTA. 5S
Marble and Miss Gardner, after suffering every hardship and
outra<^e for nK.inths, were finally ransomed by s(jnie Christian
Indians from the mission stations of Ur. Williamson and Dr.
Riggs. A son of Inkpadoota, named Makjieahotenian (Roaring-
Cloud _), who hatl murdered Mrs. Noble, was discovered, during-
the summer, by S(.)me friendly Christian Indians in one of the
villag-es on the Yellow Medicine and killed and his squaw taken
prisoner.
The government insisted on the annuity' Sioux punishing
Inkpadoota, and finally, lattle Cnnv org-anized a liand of 10(,
Wapeton and Sisseton warriors, at Yelh^w Medicine, and on the
22d of July went in jiursuit of the outlaw murderers and killed
three of them, witunded one ami captured two women and a
child.
This was all the punishment Inkpadoota ever received.
The excitement continued for most of the summer of 1S57, but
finalh- died out and tlie hulians mingled among- the settlers as
formerly.
During- the year 1S57 prej)arati(ins were made towards the
admissit)n of Minnesota as a state, and on the 1st of June an
election of delegates to draft a prooo-ed Constitution was held.
Before its adoption this Constitution, under the auspices of the
republican central committee, was translated into Welsh by
Wm. R. Jones, who then lived at Rochester, ?^Iinn. The first
election in lUitternut \'alley was that of the first of June, 1S57.
It was held at the house of David P. Davis and nineteen votes
were cast, thirteen of them republican and six democratic. The
first election in Judson had been held October 15, 185(>, at the
house of John Goodwin, when twenty-two votes were cast, of
which one only was democratic. At the general election held
October 1.^, 1S57, upon the ado]ition of the new Constitution and
the selection of a full corps of ofticers thereunder. South Bend
cast 157 votes — 105 republican and 52 democratic ; Judson 45
votes — 30 republican and 15 democratic ; and Butternut Valley
38 votes — 31 republican and 7 democratic.
These democratic votes in the Welsh towns were mostly
cast b)' a few people of other nationalities dispersed among- the
Cyniri. In later years with a po])ulation more exclusively Cym-
ric, though the total vote had more than doubled, yet the dem-
ocratic vote had materially decreased. At the .general election
of 1857 J. T. Williams, Ksci., was elected ClerkOf the District
Court, l)eing the only man on the reiniblican ticket elected thai
year in Ulue lO.irth cuiity. At this same election two Welsliiiieii
54 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
ran for the office of County Commissioner, namely: W. E. Davis
and David J. Davis. The former, one of the few Welsh demo-
crats, was elected, but in a few weeks the office was leg-islated
out of existence, and, instead, a county board was created, com-
posed of the Chairmen of the Bnard of Su]iervisors of the several
towns. So that Wm. E. Davis failed of an office after being-
elected to it, while Rev. David Davis, Chairman of the Super-
visors of the town of Butternut Valley, acquired another office
in addition to the one he already had. Such are the uncertain-
ties of political favors.
On the 24th and 2.=.th of .Tune. 1S57, the third quarterly
meeting; of the Calvinislic Methodists was held in Butternut
Valley, in an oak grove near where stands the present residence
of Jas. A. Thomas. This was the first quarterly meeting- ever
held in the Cottonwood settlement. About the time of this
meeting- Evan Jenkins from Holland Patent. Xew York, located
in the Butternut \'al]ey. An odd character was Jenkins, whom
the old settlers will long rememlier. In his domestic economy,
a bachelor, and in his choice of vocation a disciple of St. Cris-
pin. Full of eccentricities and possessed by an absurd eg-otism,
he verily believed himself the wisest man of the ag-e and the
g-reatest adornment of the jailpit and rostrum. AVith ;i rich or-
atorical voice, an atiundance of llowery language and a fertile
imag-ination, he was a conspicuous ligure in all the literary and
temperance societies, as -well as in the '"Big ^Meeting" of the
Calvinistic Methodist church and all other public gatherings.
During- the four years of his sojourn in the settlement his con-
ceit and rhetoric, furnished much entertainment and some in-
struction to our Gomeric frontiersmen.
In July, IS.^7, a postoffice was established in Butternut Ya.\-
ley with Col. Shaw as postmaster. That he might have a post-
office dc facto as well as dc jure the Colonel had to carry the mail
on his back, f<->r several months, from Judson. a distance of seven
In February of the same year David P. Davis and John
Walters had returned to Ohio on a business visit. While there
Air. Davis bought the machinery for a steam saw and grist mill,
which, during the summer, he jnit up on his farm in the Cotton-
wood valley. This mill, consisting of a diminutive engine at-
tached to a small upright saw and one run of stone, furnished
the settlers with their lundier and corn meal for manv miles
around, until Februarv l.\ ls(>2, when it was burnt. During the
v-^
y' ^*
r II
IE-
" IL
n
;;
j'^- *-L-v-■
r f
Carmel C. n. Church, Judson, Minn.
THK WKI.SH IX MINNKSUTA. o5
first jear or two an attempt was made iu start u villa-re at this
mill under the name of Davistown, but it failed.
In the summer of 1837 the election precincts of Sharon and |
Cleveland were or^-aniy.ed in the BiL,"- Woods, the name of Sliaroti I
being- adopted at the suggestion of Kvan T. Jones after Saron j
church therein situated. Among- the tirst officers of Sharon j
were the following Welshmen: Lewis Hug-hes, Judge of Klec- ]
tion; J(din C. Jones, Justice of the Peace, and David Jones, j
Constable. |
During- the same summer in the town of Sharon -was built j
the first Welsh house of worship in the state. It was a neat j
structure of hewn logs and until recently its protecting rool j
afforded shelter to the pious jieople of Sharon in all their puldic
devotions. i
On the ')th and loth of September. 1857, at the Seion church, j
was held the fourth quarterly meeting- of tin- Calvinistic .Metli- i
odists, up(^n which occasion Kew John Davis, from Picatonica.
Wis., visited the settlements. Tliis eminent divine was then in
the noonday of his glory, and our pioneers, shut out from tlie
world in the \-ast wilderness, had long been famishing for a pulinl
feast such as they had enjoyed in the older states, or in dear ol<l |
Gwalia. So when Davis, Picatonica, came, he was received like |
a king- and scarce could the old fathers and motliers in Israel lie j
kept fnmi worshijiing him. The peo]ile foUowed him from one j
corner of the settlement to the other, and tlaily he ])reached two j
or three times in the crowded cabins. On the 14th lie organized j
a temperance society at South Bend village and another on the i
19th in the Big W(.iods. On the l'»th and 2inli he, also, formally
opened the new church building of Samn. I .
Early in March, 1.S5S, the peojile of Seion began the erection |
of a house of worship, which was com])leteil and the tirst ser\ice j
therein held on the 11th of July. It was a frame structure, i
built by one Richard Williams. During the same summer
the people of Horeb, not to be outdone by the inhabitants
of Seion, built them a frame temjile, which ranked for
many years the larg-est in size in the settlement, and which
even today stands among the largest. The building was
beg-un by a carpenter named John Davis, and completed by An-
drew Friend, and cost about S8(M). To comjilete a frame Ijuild-
in those days meant simply the coni]>letion of tiie (jutside shell.
The art of plastering- was then unknown. A rude box or
counter fixed ujion a rude platform answered for a pulpit, while
a row of boards supported by blocks ol wood did for pews. All
56 THE WELSH IN IMINXESOTA.
of this furniture was of a rustic sort, unpainted, unvarnished,
unplancd, f(.ir our frontier worshipers had no means to cultivate
aesthetic tastes. The church of our forefathers olfered hut few
attractions to fashionable ease, but (rod was found there as
often as in the costly temples of modern date.
In a pioneer society the g-reat and unpardonable sin is
"Claim Jumping-." He who murders a man may be fori^iven
and become a hero even ; but he who jum]>s a claim deserves to
be hung and cannot be forgiven, either in th.e secular world
or in the world religious. Strange, where land is so plenty as
it is in a new countr_y, that any difticulty of this sort should
arise. Herein, however, human nature strikingly resembles
the nature of certain animals, who cannot enjoy anything unless
they can push and scramble for it, and each covets the identical
.morsel its neighbor has, though other like morsels, and even
richer ones, lie around in abundance untouched. From this
mortal sin the race of Gomcr in ^Minnesota did not escape and
"countless woes" resulted therefrom. Lifelong friends became
lifelong foes and bitter hatred, envy and spite, filled the land.
Cliques and parties sprang up and both church and state were
rent by fierce conflicts. Force and violence were everywhere
abroad, and temporal courts and the courts ecclesiastical were
kept busy continually.
Among others, the Congregational church organized by
Rev. Jenkin Jenkins, iti Judson, suffered grievouslj', by reason
of these dissensions, and during the winter of 1857-8 the services
were entirely suspended for a time. In the summer of 1858 the
society reassembled at the house of John E. Davis, and Mr.
Henry Hughes became their leader. In the meantime Rev.
Jenkin Jenkins, with a few adherents, and Rev. "William Wil-
liams with a few Baptist brethren uniteil in holding services
near Judson village. In the summer of 185S, however, Mr.
Jenkins became reconciled to the Congregational church and
was reinstated as its pastor.
The rentoval of the Congregational cliurch to John E. Davis'
house left Judson without a religious orLranization. xiccord-
ingly, on the 11th of July, 1858, a Calvinistic Methodist society
was organized there at the house of Owen Roberts, Esq., by
Rev. David Davis, assisted by Evan Evans ( Pcnih. The first
elders appointed for this church were: Owen Roberts and Wm.
Boweti. This was the origin of the present Jerusalem church.
On the 15th and ICth of SejUember. 1S5S, the first 'V/r-
manfir or the Conference of the Calvinistic Methodists was held
>■■' i;;,-.o-.:^' -■-«!
■,;"'■
i J., V ■i-*^ i,\
\;,,
^ i ■-•'".;^ '"^x
■ '"■ \
' "? ^^l"^ 'V\'"
' \''
■' n . V
' f^ ^^ "^
: .
'-re:-- ^^3
•
•'^ V-:-.^._ J
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 57
at the new Seion church ni South Bend. In May, 1S58,
Rev. Meredith Evans, brother of D. C. Kvans, Esq., vis-
ited the settlement, and in Xovemlier of tlie same year
came Rev. Thomas Phillips, ! LJaraho,.. Wis.:, h..th of whom
broke the bread of life, frequently, to the hun!.;-ry souls of the
the pioneers durinyf their short stay. Besides preaching- ]Mr.
Evans held a g-reat temperance rally on May 21st at South Bend
villag-e, in the larg-e h.)tel then newly built. South Bend was
then in the prime of its giory and rivaled Mankato in its impor-
tance. Besides the hotel the. villag-e ci-mtains two mills, live
stores and about fifty houses.
During- the winter of 1S57 S a debating- society was started
in Butternut Valley, which had a iLuirishing- existence for two
or three years. In tlmse early years, literary societies, temjier-
ance societies, and sing-ing- schools were common in all the set-
tlements and our pioneers made themselves as useful and merry
as could be in the wilderness.
The first school in the Seion neitrhborhood was taught by
that famous idd Welsh schoolmaster, Edward Thomas, Sr., in a
log- house l)eli.>ng-ing- to ICdward Jones ( J/ncs Mcizcr). in the
-winter of IS.^d. A barn belong-ing- to Evan II. Evans became
the next schoolroom, and then in the winter of ISSS the school
•was removed to the church, then newly built, where J. T. Will-
iams, Esq., wieUled the rod.
The first scho(-)l in Judson was taught in the winter of 18.S7
in a vacant house in the villag-e by Miss Jennette, eldest daugfh-
ter of .Re V.Jen kin Jenkins ' now Mrs. Jennette Jcmes.of Mankato ).
In the Jerusalem neighborhood Mr. A. Crisp taug-ht the
first school at his own house > where Mrs. R(.ibert Roberts"
present residence stands) about ISi.o. There were only two or
three children in attendance.
Addison Jones taug-ht the next sclioid in this neigfhborhood
in the winter of 1861, and Edward Thomas, Sr., followed him in
18f)2. Both of these schools were well attended, and were kept
in David T. Davis" log shanty, near where stands the present
residence of Rev. John AV. Roberts. This school continued in
private houses until it \\;is removed to the log- church in 1S(.(,.
The first school in Butternut Valley was taught in District
No. 10 by Miss Elizabeth Davis mow Mrs. Rich. Jones, of
Cambria), daughter of the old pi(meer, John E. Davis, in the
summer of 1S.=^'I, in a log schoolhouse which had just been com-
pleted, and which stood in the edge of the timber about eig-hty
rods due north of the present sch(.>olliouse
Si K
II ■>
.^
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 59
The first school in the Horeb neiLrhb(jrhuod, now District
No. 11, was taught by Miss Mar}- S. Davis (afterwards Mrs.
Thos. Y. Davis), daughter of Dr. D. Davis, in the fall of 1859,
in a vacant house which stood on the farm now owned by
Jas. A. Thomas. Before the close of that year this district
completed a log schoolhousc which stood on the site of its
present frame building. The first to teach in this log structure
was James Black, in the winter of 1860. Though a good
scholar, he lacked one essential (lualification for a successful
pedagogue in those days — good muscle. The big boys soon ]>ut
this qualification to the test, and found it wanting, and the
school closed rather abruptly. The next teacher was Charles
Buck, a brother of Judge Buck. He was six feet tall and well-
proportioned — a ])owerful man phvsicallv as well as mentallv.
He ruled with a rod of iron — i wood > — and succeeded in l>riny-ing
the turbulent spirits of young Wild West Wales under proper
discipline. His school was quite successful. Edward Thomas,
Sr., was the next teacher. He was not a great scholar, but he
was fond of children, and his bustlintr. energetic wav begat
life and interest in all about him. His s;>ecial Inrte \\-as music.
for which he had a great passion. To locate the district where
this old Welsh schoolmaster taught, all one had to do was to
listen, for it resounded with song from one end to the other.
Singing schools were the order of the day and night in the
neighborhood where he held sway.
In those days, Judson was an ambitious village not content
unless it could excel. Accordingly, in the fall of 1858, instead
of a common school, it must needs start an educational estab-
lishment with the important title of "'Judson Academy." A Joint
Stock company, formed for the purpose, purchased for S8()0 a
large frame building of T.K.Cnuls(ni,in which to hold the school.
Rev. J. R. Ash, a young Baptist minister from Illinois, had
charge of the school, and his wife taught the music department.
Hon. Wm. R. Jones was one of the Trustees of the institution.
A tuition fee, ranging from S.3.5() to SIO.OO was charged. A
number of our Welsh young men and women attended this school
during its existence, which, however, was but brief, lasting only
until the summer of 1859. The school statistics of 1859 give the
number of pupils in the several Welsh districts as follows:
South Bend village, 74 ; Zion District, 45 ; Judson village, 42 ;
Judson prairie, 38 ; John E. Davis District. 18 ; and Horeb Dis-
trict, 52.
October 11, 1859, D. C. Evans, Esq., was elected to the State
60 THE WELSH IN MIN'NKSOTA.
Senate to the crreat rcioicing- of the Welsh, who held a jollilica-
tion meeting- at Suuth Bend November 2'), on Mr. Kvans" de-
parture for the Leyiislative halls.
December 11, 1S59, a Cong-reg-ational church was org-anized
at a vacant log- house, belonnfingf to E. Evans {_Paiit), in South
Bend vi.lage. Rev. Jenkin Jenkins, assisted by Henry Hughes
and David T. Davis, conducted the org-anization. The first
deacons elected were Wra. W. Davis and Thos. Evans. In 1S(.1,
this society erected its present house of worship at a cost of
S700. In the spring of 1859, Rev. David Davis and Henry
Hug-hes started a Cong-reg-ational society at Evan D. Evans'
house on James A. Thomas' present farm. This society was
duly org-anized into a church at the house of Henry Hug-hes in
Butternut Valley, on tb.e l.^th of March, 1S(.0, by Rev. Samuel
Jones, La Crosse, Wis. Dr. Davis anil Mr. Hughes preached
alternate Sabbaths for this church until the death of the former
in the spring- of 18((2, when Mr. Hughes took charge of it alone
until the g-reat Indian massacre of that fall scattered the sheep
of this fold never more to reassemble. In DecemlxT, ISdO, a
Calvinistic Methodist church was organized in South IJend vil-
lag-e by Rev. R. (1. Jones, assisted by E. Evans Kl'aut). This
church in ISdd went over to the Presbyterians and for a season
enjoyed the able ministn,' of Rev. James M. Pryse and after-
wards of Rev. David J. Lewis, but in spite of all it fell into a
decline and finally ceased to exist. In November, 1S(>(I, the Cal-
vinistic Methodist church of Elim, Big Woods, was cirganized
by Rev. Richard G. Jones at the house of Rev. Richard Davis.
The first elders of this church were Evan Griffiths and Edward
Evans, and its pastor for several j-ears was Rev. R. G. Jones.
It's worthy elder. Evan Griffiths, gave the societ}- an acre of
his farm, and a neat frame meeting house was erected thereon
in the summer of 1.S60. The church yard is the jirincipal Welsh
cemetery of Lc Sueur county to this day.
While foremost in founding temjdes for the Prince of Peace
our Welshmen were not backward in war. In the great contlict
of the Rebellion the Welsh towns of Blue Earth county were
the banner towns of that county in the (juotasof men furnished.
Aug-ust 1.^, 1862, twenty-one Welshmen enlisted tog-ether in Co.
E. ')th Regiment Minnesota Volunteers, and one of their num-
ber, John R. Rolierts, was made 2d Lieutenant, and was about
the bravest and most efficient officer of the Reg-iment. Decem-
ber, 18().^. twenty-two more Welshmen enlisted at one time in
Co. E. 2d Regiment }^Iinnesota Cavalry. Besides these two
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 61
special enlistments a number of others sing'lv and in t^roups of
three and four joined other companies and reyiments at clivers
times. One of these, Hugh J. Owens, served as captain in Co.
F. 1st Minnesota Artillery. Several of our brave Cymry boys
left their bones on Southern fields, among whom were: fvieu-
tenant J. K. I'Joberts. wounded at the battle of Nashville and
died in the hospital, Sergeant Thomas Kees, killed at the b:ittle
of Vicksburg, also Privates E. J. Davis. William Rces, David
Breese, Lewis Lewis, John G. Roberts, and Wm. tlrif-
tiths, who mostly jierished in the Southern jirisons. Noble nun
they were all and true, who fought and died ior jirinciples, not
for <rain or selfish trlorv.
THE sioi;x
MASSACKE.
At the
treat
es of
Met
(lota
and Tr;
verse
d
■ Sioux in 1S5.^
the Sioux
[ndiai
s, as w
•e h;
ive Ix
fore Stat
ed, ce
le
1 to the govern-
ment all the Ian
Is of t
le Minne
sota vail
•V exi
C|
t two small res-
ervations.
l(t mi
es bro
ad 1
y 150
miles in
lenu
th
These reser-
vations were si
uated
on
the upper w;
iters
.f
the Minnesot.i
river, abou
t twenty mil
es u
.the
river fro
m the
^\
'elsh settletnent
and about
li fleet
miles
from the
village.
)f New
L'lm, and oti the
same side
.f the
river.
On ca
Ch of
these
res
ervat
ons was
loca
te(
; a government
post, when.
resid
ed the
Ind
an CI
mtnissio
ner vv
tl
his retinue and
a nunil>er c
f trai
ers, fi
rmii
ig U\
o small
•illag
JS
One .d' these.
situated in
the n
irthwc
St c
)rner
of the t(
wn o
Sherman, in Red
Wood count}-, was known as the Lower Sioux Agency, and the
other, located on the present site of Yellow Medicine village, in
Yellow Medicine county, was called the Upper Sioux Agcncv.
Throe miles further u]> the Yellow Medicine river was the Mis-
sion Station of Dr. Thomas S. Williamson, called "Pay-zhe-hoo-
ta-ze," and two miles be^'ond was the Mission Station of Dr.
Stephen R. Riggs, termed '•Hazelwood." Thirteen miles below
the Lower Agency, upon the north bank of the Minnesota river.
Ft. Ridgely was situated, with a garris.m (d" soldiers for the pro-
tection of the frontier. A few Indians had been induced by the
teaching of the Missionaries and by the great aids and rewards
of the government to adopt civilized life, and had houses and
farms near the two Agencies — about 60 farms at the Upper
Agency and 100 farms at the Lower Agency, with about 1,500
acres under good cultivation. The great majority, however, re-
tained their ancient customs, wandering about hunting and
fishing through the great forests and plains. Little attention
62 THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA.
paid they to the lines of their reservations, but roamed at will
over their ancient hunting- "grounds as freely as thousjh the same
had never been ceded, and minyled with fullest freedom amoncr
the few scattered settlers, who from daily associations had come
to look upon them without the least fear or suspicion.
Once a year the tribes would gather at the Agencies to re-
ceive their annuities, which, according U> the treaty, were to
amount to S,^ii,(i(in.i)(» in money and Sln.ooii.iiii in provisions an-
nuallv. There were also paid ?12.ihi(I.(.iii per year as a civili;;a-
tion fund, and Sf«,tin().(i() per year for an educational fund. De-
lays, however, frequently occurred in the payment of these
annuities, which worked seriiius hard^^hip and inconvenience to
the Indians. Croater still wa^ tlu' hardship due to the <lis-
honesty of agents and traders, who often took advantage of the
simple mindeil sa\'age to swindle him out of all his nKmey even
before he receixed it.
The government's custom of allowing agents and traders to
present claims against the Indians for pretended credits that
had been advanced to them, and deducting these amounts first
from the annuities, caused particularly sore grievances.
It afforded the widest chance for frauds, as the Indians
had no opportunity to dispute any of the claims. About S4(MI.-
000.00 of the money due the Indians under the treaties of 1851
and 1852 were thus paid the lirst year to traders and agents on old
debts, which roused great indignation among the Indians,
who claimed they did not owe these parties a cent. One Hugh
Miller was paid ^55,o(ii).0() for pretended services in helping to
negotiate the treaties.
With the change of administration in 1S61 came a change
of agents and a change of policy. Instead of paying the annui-
ties in money they were paid in goods, yvhich afforded greater
opportunity for fraud, if anything, than before, and caused
greater dissatisfaction to the Indians. There were also vexa-
tious delays in the payment of these annuities. In 1862 they were
due the first of July, but did not arrive until August r»th, a day
after the beginning of the massacre. The Indians, who had
gathered at the Lower Agency, the place of payment, on time —
man}- coming from a great distance with their families, were
kept waiting, doomed to daily disappointment, until their small
supply of food was exhausted and they were rendered desperate
by want.
Settlers, also, were pouring into the country more and more
every year and the land was fast being taken by them. The
THE WELSH IN HIINNESOTA.
63
g'ame, which had !)een thi
pearing-, so the redman w
done in cedin,;,'- his land to
be driven out of the home
■ hunters sustenance, was fast disap-
.s bet^'-innin!,'- to reali/.e wliat he had
tlie jiale-face. and how soon he would
>f his fathers.
Then there was what may be termed the patriotic feeling- —
the strong- innate love of their old customs, habits and institu-
tions, which were fast being e.xi)ened by the aggressive power
of the white man's civilizatidU. IJarbarism and civilization are
naturally antagonistic,
and when suddenly
brought tf)gether
there is usually a hos-
tile clash.
To see a strange
people, witli strani;e
manners and institu-
tions, expel them from
the Ian d o f their
fathers and destruy
their ancient savage
customs and rights nec-
essarily begot a hos-
tile feeling in the
hearts of the Dakotas.
These things were
discussed and agitated
by the Sioux in their
Tee-yo-tee-pe (Soldiers
Lodge) a secret society,
formed by them for the
purpose shortl3- before
the outbreak, until the savage mind was made ripe for mischief.
Foremost among the agitators was a chief of the Medawakon-
ton band, named ''Tahohyahtaydootah," THis Scarlet People i
or as he was called by the whites after his father. "Little Crow."
This chief was a man of cimsiderable ability and eloquence
He had adopted the white man's costume, except that he still
retained his long plaited hair and time-honored blanket, and he
dwelt in a comfortable residence upon a well furnished farm
near the Lower Agency, all generously supplied him by the
government. Besides being civilized, he was also a Christian
convert who went to church regularly and prided himself on liis
piety. At the house of this amiable chief, <-'n Sunday afternoon
--'fS^,
/ -«4
<^ '^/}
y-"
■fh< "\,
.<
/
i A ' "^
^ L.^:
-U ■;
f
\ ' >■ _ ^
k
\ ->^
-•*-—-—■
^ ;.:.»^."^
'''■
^
■'••.■ i
'>
"-»».'
,>. ^ ^-^
■■ ■"-
,'■- •>
; ■';. )V-c:\
.ii^Ssu^
LITTLE CKOW.
64 THE WELSH IN' MINXESOTA.
the 3d of Auf,''ust. 18<i2, an Indian council met. and one of the
darkest and most darinj^'- plots was conceivetl and determined
upon.
. This hi.rrilde plut meant nothino; less than the wh(desale
murder of all the whites west <if the Mississippi.
It was decided to ljeL;4n this horrible massacre on the mor-
row at the Upper .\.L,'-i.-ncy and at Ft. Kidi^ely simultaneously, and
cunningf stratei^'-ems were de\'ised to capture these places. Ac-
cordinffly, on the morrow. ninety-si\ y.mnu- braves. well armcdaud
painted, went t<.) Ft. Kidgely, pretending they were yoinij upon
an excursion a^^i'ainst the Chippewas. and asked the privilei^-e to
hold one of their customary dances on a vacant lot within the
fort. This ]irivilei;e, for some reason, was refused, but thev
were fjTanted a spot outside of the walls where at once they pre-
pared themselves for the dance.
There were abcmt sixty soldiers at Ft. Rid;,'-ely at the time,
and these not dreamin^r of dani;-er were saunterini;- about ne-di-
g-ent of every military ]>recaution. .Vs tl:e Indians had I'Xfiected,
the soldiers and citizens soon i^'-athereil around to witness the
strangle performance. It was the plan of the sava<,'-es, when
the soldiers were thus unarmed and wholly unprepared, to rush
into the fort, sei/.e the _i,'-uns an<l ammunition and massacre the
entire g"arrison. The accomplishment, however, of this strat-
ag-em was thwarted by the cautiousness of a brave Welshman.
In command of the-six small pieces of artillery at the fort was
one Serf,^eant John Jones. This man, thinking- it the duty of a
soldier to he always prepared, loaded three of his g-.uns with
f^rape and canister shot and pointed them scptarelv at the danc-
ing- braves. All that afternoon and all niu;-ht lonfr Sarg-eaut
Jones kept himself and two subordinates st:ati(med at the yuns,
whose frowning- muscles were all that saved Ft. Ridgeh". On
the morrow the Indians, naturally cowards and having- special
dread of the white man"s big- g-uns. departed from the fort with-
out causing- even the suspicion of e\-il.
The contemplated attack upim the Upper Agency was, also,
happily frustrated. On the same morning- of the 4th of Augrust
about 4d() Indians, mounted and on foot, made a raid upon the
g-ovemraent warehouse at this place, breakiiig- in the door and
shooting down the flag- before the eyes of the ag-ent and Intt
armed soldiers, but a prompt and vig-orous action on the part of
the soldiery awed the cowardly savag-es and defeated their miir-
merous purpose. Their bloody plans having- been thus thwarted
at the start, ancjther council of the entire Sioux nation with as
TiiK \vi-;i,sii IX :\iiNNi':soTA. Oo
many WinnelKiL^-uos and other Indians as wished tn come, was
called to meet on Sunday the 17th of Auy-ust, at Rice Creek,
sixteen miles al)(i\e the I^nwer A^-ency. Durini^- the two or three
days ])recedinL;- this council the Sioux hands dwelHuLr in the
Welsh settlement, after h.ildin-- a lew wild .lances, suddenly took
their departure westward taking- with them their s<iuaws. pa-
pooses and all their helon.n-ini,'-s. Likewise did the other Sioux
bands dwellini,'- over the rest of the state, and daily the roads
leadin<r toward the Sioux Keserv.ation were full of Imlians
all g'oini^- toward the Lower A^rency, until l>y the e\eninLr
of the Kith all were LT'ine. HMiis strani,'-e movement, however,
created not the sliw'htest suspicion amoni;- the whites as the In-
dians had been in the hnhit of L;-oinL;- to the reservation in L;-reat
numbers to recei\-e their annuities, which were then p.ist due.
Sunday morninu'. Amrust 17th, Little Oow, Inlq>adooi;i and
Little Priest, cliief of the Winnebairoes. attended reli-'ious servi-
ces at the Episcopal churcli in tiie Lower Aufency and listened
attentively to the sermon preached by Kev. J. I), llinman.
In the afternoon of the same .lay the three .attended a lar-'e In-
dian cimncil held a-am on Kice Creek, at which they were the
principal spokesmen. The theme was how to destroy the white
race and retlress their wronu-s.
Then was thouijrht to be the opportune time, as the whites
were entjat^ed in a ,<rreat war amonu' themsid\es. .AH the rei^ai-
lar scddiers, who heretobire hail been stati.med in the frontier
forts, h.ad LTone to the south and their phaces were supplied by a
mere handful of raw rtcruits. Fort Ridijely was occupied by Com-
pany B, Fifth Minnesot.a \'olunteers, which comprised eig-hty
men and four officers, who had enlisted only six months before,
tog-ether with Ordinance Sery-eant John Jones with six small
pieces of artillery, Fost Surf^eon Alfred Muller, Sutler B. II.
Randall and Indian Interpreter Peter Ouinn — in all only eig-hty-
eig-ht men to yuard hinidreds of miles of frontier ag-ainst 4,00(»
Sioux and 2,n()(i Winneba<,''oes, while at the other frontier military
posts, P"'orts Ri]ile\" and .Vbercrombie. only comii.anies C and A, of
the same rei;-iment. with about the same number of men were sta-
tioned to keep in check the hordes of Chippewas and Sioux in the
distant resrion of the n<irth and west. Besides all this four
thousand of the best able-bodied men from the scattered homes of
Minnesota ha<l already L,'-one to southern battle hc'.ds, and live
thousand more had recently enlisted and had just started for
the great cmitlict until it seemed there were only women and
children and old men left.
66 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
Company E, of tlio ')th Kt.'t^'-iment was recruited in Blue
Earth county and contained a larye proportion of Welshmen.
They had left ^ra^kato only the previous Friday for Fort Snell-
ing- to be mustered in. On the same day the Indian ag-ent, Maj.
Thos. J. (ktlbraith, having- enlisted thirt}- men at the Upper
Agency and twent}- men at the Lower Agency, went with them
to Fort Kitlgelv, and this very Sunday morning, being furnished
transportatiim.they liad left the fort accompanied by Lieutenant
N. K. Culver, Sergeant Mctrraw and four men of Company 15
for Fort Snelling, by wa\- of New^ Ulm and St. Peter, to be
sworn in and sent south with the thousands of at>le bodied men
there gathered from all parts of the state in answer to their
country's call. At 7 o'clock on the morning- of this same Sunday
Lieutenant Sheehan, with lifty men of Company C, l<'iftli I-Jegi-
ment, who had been sent from Fort Ripley to aid Alaj. Galbraith
two months before in iiuelling certain disturbances which had
broken out among the Indians of the I"]>per Agency, left Fort
Ridg^ely to return to Fort Kipley, thinking- the danger was all
over. The watchful eye of the Indian had observed all this.
Now, if ever, was the opportune time to avenge all their wrongs
and recover all their lands from the hated pale-face invader.
The Great Spirit had delivered the white people into their
hands with all their rich spoil. It would be but a small pastime
for the Indian warriors to kill the women and children and the
few men — mostly old and decrepit — left in the country. These
were the sentiments expressed with all the force of Indian ora-
tory at this Sunday afternoon council.
There were {)resent, by special invitation, delegates from
the Winnebag-oes, Chippewas and the tribes who dwelt on the
great plains of Dakota, and all gave assurances of sympathy antl
aid in ridding the country of the common foe. It was thought
prudent, however, to defer the attack until all the soldiers then
mustering at St. Paul had left the state, and to make sure of this
a delegation of Indians was to be sent to St. Paul to spy into
affairs, under the pretext of seeking redress for their li-rievances.
Little Crow and his associates planned well and undoubtedly it
these plans had been carried out to full maturity the awful In-
dian massacre of 1S()2 would have been ten times more awful and
the Indian prediction that all the whites in Minnesota, west of
the Mississippi, would be destroyed and corn planted on the
sites of St. Peter, Mankato and Red Wing would have been ful-
filled.
A merciful providence, however, hastened the massacre pre-
THK WKLSH IN MIX.VKSOTA. 67
maturely and thus weakened the f(.)e: and the i,'-atherini,'- at Fort
Snelling- of so many tlmusands of men enlisted read v tor war
turned out to be a very important factor in savin-^- the state
from destruction by the savajro tomahawk.
On the loth of Au-ust twenty Indians had left the Lower
Ag-ency for the north end of the IJi- Woods in Meeker county
to hunt deer. ( )n tlie morniii- of this eventful Sunday ( Aui^nis't
17) four of these twenty, havin- become separated" from the
others came to the house of ,.ne Kobms,,n Jones in the town of
Acton. Jones kept a sort of a puldic h.iuse and had a bar with
liquors for sale.
A violent .piarrel soon :irose between Junes and the Indians
rejrardin-- a i,ain, wliich Jones clKiri,'-ed they had taken some
time before to shoot deer with and had failed to return. Jones
finally drove them out of his house and refused to -ive them
more whiskey. They tlien went a (|uarter of a mile distant to
the house ,.f Howard ilaker. a son of .Mrs. Jones' bv a b.rmer
husband. There tliey conducteil themselves i.eaceablv, until an
hour later when .Mr. and Mrs. J,,nes came over on a visit and
resumed with them the old quarrel with much bitterness. It
seems these Indians belon-ed to Chief Shakopee's band near the
Lower Ayency, which band was the worst disposed towards the
whites and had been the most violent and a-irressive in their
denunciation in the '-Soldiers Lod-e." livil inclined at heart
towards the whites and -reatly incensed by the scurrulous abuse
of Jones and his wife, and their brains probably somewhat in-
flamed by whiskey, their sava-e thirst for veng-e'ance could con-
tain Itself no lon-er, so they induced the whites to shoot with
them at a mark and takin- advanta-e ,.f them when their g-uns
were empty, they immediately shot and killed Jones, Baker and
his wife, and an immigrant named \Vebster, who was stopping-
at Baker's house, and then returned to Jones' house and killed a
Miss Wilson, who was st.q.pinn- there. This occurred about
noon. The bloody work done, thev be-an to reflect on the ter-
rible consequences it might bring-- ..n themselves, and, stealing- a
span of horses from a Mr. Eckland near bv, they made all haste
for home, 35 miles away, at Shakopee's villag-e on Rice Creek,
where they arrived l.Ue at night. The story of the murders was
at once communicated to the head men of the tribe and a second
council hastily summoned, after midnig-ht, of all the Indians
within reach.
The four murderers were ch.selv related to the strong-est and
most inlluential f.uniiies in the tribe. To save the young men
68 THE WELSH IN MIXXI'SOTA.
from beinq- imniciliatcly arrested and hunir by the whites there
seemed to be but one remedy: to eommenee tlie massacre at once
and annihilate the pale lace from the land before tidings of this
outrag:e should reach them and ]iut them on their guard, and
soldiers should be sent to their defense.
The young- bloods not having the foresight of the older
chiefs, having before been impatient of the delay in beginning
the massacre, now swept all before them in their mad enthusiasm.
Little Crow, however, was keen enough to foresee the difticnlty
of so hasty a beguining and expressed his regret tli;it the out-
break was forced, thus prematurely, tuit finally yielded to the
argument of necessity as their hands were already red. Seeing
nothing could stem the mad tide he threw himself on it's top
wave, ambitious of the hero's place, as leader of his i)eopie.
Ere yet it was dawti the roads leading to the Lower Agency
were full of armeil sa\ages. hideous with paint and feathers, and
eager to begin the carnage.
Reaching the village about sunrise they liegan killing
the people, and i)lundering, ami burning the government ware-
house and the jirivate stores and houses and stealing the horses
from the barns. So sudden and wholly unexpected was the at-
tack that no resistance could be made, and in a few minutes
about twenty persons were niurdere<l. The rest of the inhabi-
tants taking advantage of the short respite the Indians sjient
in pillaging, fled hurriedly toward Ft. Ridgely, thirteen
miles distant. Forty-one of them reached the fort in safety,
but many fell victims to savage vengeance along the wav.
Among the latter were Dr. Humphreys, the government physi-
cian of the Lower iVgency, and his family, consisting of wife
and three children, a little girl and two boys, the (ddest only f2
years old.
The wife was sick and after going three or four miles she
became so exhausted that they had to turn into a house to rest.
The doctor sent the oldest boy to a spring at the foot of the
bluff close by after some water to drink. As the boy was return-
ing he heard the report of the gun that killed his father, and
hiding he saw the fiends chop off liis father's head wit. i an ax
and set lire to the house and burn his sick mother and little
brother and sister in it.
The first news of the outbreak reached Ft. Kidgely about lo
o'clock a. m. The loiii^- roll was sound.'d and the garrison imme-
diately put under arms. A mounted ni 'ssen^-.T \vas at once dis-
patched after Lieutenant Sheeluin and lus men, who had left
THE WELSH IN MIXXKSOTA. 69
the day hcfon.-, rc(|ucstinL;- thorn tu return to Ft. Riilg-ely forth-
with. Within thirtv minutes .-iftcr the first alarm Capt. Marsh
with (Juinn, the interpreter, and furtv-six soldiers started for
the A,i,'-ency. The mad was full of fuii'itives tleeiny for their
lives. They also met a soldier who had been home on a fur-
lou<,'-h, John Mag-ill, by name, at whose house Dr. Humphreys
and family had stcjpped. lie joined the command makinuf forty-
seven soldiers beside Ca])t. Marsh. Six miles out they beLfan to
come upon dead bddiesof men, women and e'hildren, lyini;- in the
road, some horribly mutilated, while the smoke and llames of
burning- houses rose near and far over all the country before
them showing the appalling extent of the dreadful massacre then
being- enacted.
In spite of every warning Capt. Marsh and his little band
of soldiers pressed resnluteh- on, by the body of Dr. IIum])lire3-
and the burning- pile where his wife and two children perished.
Near this place the oldest l)oy coming- from his - hiding-
place joined them, and they hurried on across the wide
valley of the Minnesota with the tall g-rass on each side
of the roail until finally alunit noon they reached the ferry
at the Agencv crossing-. The bra\e IVench ferryman had
stood by his post like a hero that morning and had crossed
over all the fleeing- fug-itives from the Agency until at last he
fell a martyr to duty. His body disembowelled, with head and
hands chopped off and inserted into the cavity, lay now by the
road-side a horrible sight. The ferry lay unfastened on the fort
side of the river. The water at the ford was very riley as
though recently disturbed and a troop (if Indian ponies were
noticed standing a little ways off in the grass. There were
bushes and tall grass all around. The siddiers formed in line
facing- the river and two <)f their number went a few feet above
the ford for water. They returned saying they had seen the
heads of many Indians peering over the logs by the Ag-ency saw
mill just across the river. Just then White Dog-, who had been
president of the farmer, or civilized hulians, a])peared on the
other side of the river and shouted to the soldiers to come over.
It was the plan to get the soldiers on the ferry anu then murder
them all in mid-stream. Seeing the soldiers were about to with-
draw instead of crossingf White Dog fired his gun as a signal of
attack and instantly a volley was fired from across the river by
a hundred or more Indians lying there in ambush.
Interpreter (Juinn fell dead pierced by twelve bullets. Most
of the shots, however, passed b>rtunaiely over the soldiers" heails.
76 THE WKI.SH IX :\nNXT';SOTA.
The captain onlerud a retreat to the ferry house near by, but in-
stantly, before the order \\as hartUy i;-i\en, luindreds of jiainted
savag-es with demoniac yells rushed from the ferry house and
barns and leaped out of the brush and L:Tass all around, and
poured a murderous tire at close rani^'e into the devoted little
band. There was a terrible stru.^-i^'le for a few minutes and
twenty-fovtr soldiers and a few Indians lay dead on that fatal
field. Captain Marsh and fifteen of his men manag-ed to gain a
thicket, which lay down the river a few nuls, and from its shel-
ter kept the Indians at bay all that afternoon until 4 o'clock when
the lower end of the strij. of wood was reached. Here the In-
dians had concentrated their force to receive the S(ddiers as they
emerged from the timber. Discovering their intention Capt.
Marsh concluded to cross the river witli the hope thus to
elude the foe. Going ahead of his command the brave ofticer
waded into the stream and gettiiig beyond his depth began
to swim when, prolKibly sei;!ed by cramps, he threw uj* his
arms and cried for help and immediately sank beneath the waves
and, in spite of heroic eiforts to save him, was drowned.
The soldiers now gave up the attein]it to cross the ri\-er and
passed down the north bank. The Indians, in the meantime,
supposing the soldiers had crossed the river, had hurried away
to a ford and thus the little band eluded them and escaped.
Sergeant Bishop, on whom the command devolved after Marsh
was drowned, was wounded and one of the men wassobadlv
shot he had to be carried. Two men were then detailed to
hasten on to bear tidings to the fort where Lieutenant Gere
had been left with only twentj'-two men tit for duty.
All day long the terrified people had been pouring into the
fort from the country round, until by night there were gathered
within it fully 200 liel])less. horror-stricken people, mostly
women and children. Many were crazed with grief over the loss
of dear ones, butchered before their evi-s, others were wildly-
anxious for missing friends and relatives, while all trembled as
to what their own fate might be, expecting every moment to
hear the savag-e war whoop and the crack of Indian g-uns. The
few extra tire arms in the fort were placed in the hands of
those who could best use them. Alxuit noon'the long expected
Sioux annuity of STl.oon.oo in g-old had .arrived at the fort in
charg-e of C. J. Wykoff. clerk of the Indi.an Superintendent, and
four others. Abmit S o'clock at night the two messen^-ers dis-
patched ahead by Sergeant llisliop reached the fort. l)ringing
the lirst report of the terrible disaster which had befallen Capt.
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 71
Marsh and his men. Two hours later Bishop and the twelve
men with him arrived. Before morninif eiyht more men of
Marsh's command, who had manayed to hide in the brush near
the ferry until dark, came stragfg-ling- in, anil with them, having-
escaped all the peril, was Dr. Humphrey's little son. Five of the
twenty-three men of Marsh's command who escaped were
wounded, Icavinyf only eig-hteen available for military service.
At once on learnin<T the fate of Capt. Marsh and his com-
pany, Lieutenant (lere sent a nn)unte(l messenger with dis-
patches to the commanding ofticer at Ft. Snelling- and to Ctov.
Ramse}- acquainting them with the condition of things and ask-
ing- immediate aid. After plundering and burning the Lower
Ag-ency a portion of the Indians under the command of Little
Crow went to meet Capt. Marsh and his men and were engaged
in that battle all the afternoon as we have stated, others scat-
tered in small bands all over the country, a distance of forty or
fift}' miles along the Minnesota river on both sides, butchering
the surprised and defenseless people, without regard to age or
sex, and pillaging- and burning their homes.
Awful was the carnag-e — shocking were the horrors of that
day's outrag-es. At nig-ht the Indians, for the most part, re-
turned to their villages — the squaws laden with plunder, the
braves with the g-t>ry scalps of their victims dangling- at their
belts^the gray hair of ag-e and silken locks of childhood min-
g-led tog-ether. The night was spent in celebrating with wild
orgies their success.
Early in the morning- the Indians had sent couriers on swift
horses to inform the Sioux of the Upper Ag^ency of the outbreak
and to urge their co-operation in the war against the whites.
Couriers were also dispatched in haste to all the various bands
scattered through the leng-th and breadth of the reservation, and
-within six hours after the first gun had been fired at the Lower
Agency there was not an Indian between Little Rock river and
Lake Traverse but knew that the massacre of the whites had
begun and had been invited to participate in the glor}- and boot}'
it would bring. The news reached Yellow Medicine about not^m
and was so unexpected to the Indians themselves that at first
they hesitated to believe it. Later couriers soon followed con-
firming the report and showing how wonderfully successful the
Indians had been.
They had ca]itured the Lower Agency and utterly destroyed
it and its inhabitants without the loss of ;l sing-le Indian. They
had met, defeated and would soon annihilate thescjldiers from Ft.
72 THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA.
Ridg'cly. A cintiicil was sunimoncfl at once and nu't that at'tiT-
noon to dctormine what action they, tho I'upcr Slnux. wimld
take. The cijuncil was divideil in opinion. The heathen party
were enthusiastie to join in the massacre, wliile tlie Christian
Indians and some of the others were opjiosed to it. As fresli re-
ports came continually of the success of the Lower Inilians it
became evident to the friendly Christian Indians that they could
not long' stem the risini;" tide of war. So towanl ewnini,'-, on the
18th, John Othcrday. a fuil-hlooiletl Indian, an inlluential mem-
ber of Dr. Williams(m"s church, and one of the bravest, truest
and noblest men that ever lived, with a numlu-r of his t'hristian
companions at once notified the \\-hites of the Upper ALfency and
gathered them into a warehouse, and with their i;-uns stood
guard outside all niLCht determined t(.) die in defense ni their
white friends.
Early on the morrow the hostiles broke into the stores and
houses and shot two or three persons, who had failed to lu'ed
the warning-, and beijan the work of plunderini,--. While their
attention was thus absorbed Otherday seized the .opportunity to
load the white !>eopIe into wai;-ons, and, well-l:nowing- the terri-
ble chances he ran, placed himself at the head of the caravan,
which C(.imprised twenty men and fortv-two women and children,
and piloted them out of the very jaws of death, and across the
trackless prairie to Hutchinson an<i thence by St, Clou<i to Shak-
opee, where they all arrived safelv the b>llowinLr Kridav. Other
Christian Indians went the s.ime' .Monday eveninsx August IS)
and warned Dr. Williamson and Dr. Kiggs at their respecti\-e mis-
sion stations. With them were a number of young ladies teach-
ing in the mission schools. Through the protection and aid of
the faithful Christian converts, all were saved. Dr. Rigg's and
his compan}- were taken at midnight ti.i ;in island in the MiniU'-
sota, three miles away, and next morning being supplied with
some food and a wagon they started for Ft. Ridgely, and on the
way were joined by Dr. Williamson and his family and a few
settlers, making in all forty-two souls. Unable to enter the
fort because of the sit.g-e they passed around it, ami in hearing
of the Indian guns and in si^^iitnf the burning- houses they jour-
neyed all day through Xiccdlet county on tlie road which lay
next to and parallel with the one on which the Indians were
massacreing the people, and finally reached Henderson in
safety. Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the work of
the Cliristiari Indians. Were it not for them there is every rea-
son to believe that the Idoodv desi-rns of Little Crow would have
THK Wf:i.SIt IX :\IINN-KSOTA. tS
been fully consuiiuitcd. First, hv rol'usitiy: U) join in the massa-
cre themselves thuv ^Tcatlv (liiiiiiiishctl t!ic numhor nf ImsliK's;
Second, by their xoiec and inthieTU-o in the Cduneils and every-
where they restrained and thwarted the ar<l(iur and plans ot the
hostile party, and 'JMiird. by their warninL;- and aid hundreds of
people were enabled U> eseajie. l"'t. Kidi;-ely, New I'im. Mau-
kato, St. Peter and in slinrt the entire state owed its preserva-
tion at that i^'-reat niassaere to the missionary cause more than
an}' other one tbiilL;-. The years id consecrated. seH-sacriticinL;-
labors of Dr. Williamson and Dr. Kii^i^s anion;.;- tlu' Indians bore
rich fruit not <.nly in saviiiL;- souls, but also in the savini^cd'
thousands of precious li\-es durini;- the terrible days(d the Sioux
war.
It was Little Crow's plan to attack P't. Kid-ely at once be-
fore re-enforcements could arrive, but the Indian's utter want of
organization and discipline made it h.ard to concentrate his
forces for the purpose.
The warriors were scattered ;ill over the country too nuich
engrossed in i>ersonal [dunder and rajune to join in a united,
intcUiycnt campaign tiece-^sary to the capture (d' stroUL,'- holds.
The open and secret opposition of the Christian Indians de-
stroyed united action at the Lower Agency and deterred the ex-
pected aid from the Cpper Sioux.
By ') o'clock Tuesdav morning Little Crow managed to
gather between one ami two huntlred warriors. They assem-
bled on the open ]irairie two miles west of the fort and were
there addressed by Little Crow and other chiefs.
There were only about thirty soldiers and twenty citizens
available for service at the fort, and it would have then been an
easy matter to capture it and massacre its g;irrison and the
nearh- three hundred non-combatant refugees. At this perilous
crisis Lieutenant Sheehan, with his llfty men of Company C,
entered the fort to the unbounded joy of the terror stricken peo-
ple. The message sent by Capt. Marsh had bmnd them the even-
ing" before, and bv an all night forced march thev had retraced
the entire distance it had taken them two days to make. They
were the first re-enforcements to enter the fort.
Against the advice of Little Crow, the Indians, however,
most fortunately, if not i>ro\identially, deci<led n<it to attaclc
the fort then, but to pass by it and ca]>ture New Llm Jirst, as
that place had nosoliliersor cannon to defend it, and by its cap-
ture thev thought c<imnuinications between the birt antl the east
74 THK wKLSii rx :\iixx]:.soTA.
would l)e cut off. Acc(.riliii.--ly the Iiuliaus crdssod tlio river and
passed down aloii^- its north liank toward New Ulm.
On the niorninL;- of the isth a reeruitin^' party of twenty-
five, in five teams, liad K-ft New L'hu for the west; when six or
seven miles out, <ind when near the •"Travelers Home" they
came upon a man who li.id been shot IviiiL; in theroatl. A little
way ahead were four or live Indians in the road. Three of the
teams were immediately turned arountl to head for town. A
numl)er<d' the men Jumped into the oilier iw<i waLTons and, thoui.;-h
wholly unarmed, ,L;a\-e chase after the hulians. who soon turned
and fired upon them. Three id' their number were killed .and
two wounded, one mortally. The rest abandoned their two teams
and ran back to the other w;iL,'"ons and so escajied to New I'lm,
where some I'Vench traders, who had also been attackeil when
troiny- to the AL;-ency, had preceded them a short time before with
news of the outbreak.
Refugees soon bei^an to pour in from the west with direful
tales oi the awful nnissacre then l)eini;- enacted by the Indians
all over the ci>untry. The littie (ierman town was thrown into
the wildest confusion and terror, and the fresh tales of horror
which each lleeiny fut,''itive brou^'ht, increased the panic more
and more.
Wm. IJanke was dispatched at once to Xicollet and St. I'eter
after aid anil scattered the rejiort anionir the farmers aloULT the
road as he went. lie reacheii St. I'eter about (> o'clock and
there overtook Maj. (lalbraith and J.ieutenant Culver with the
Renville Rangers, who had left New I'lm that mornini,-- for Ft.
Snelling-. About 2 o'clock two men in a buLT.y'y from New
Ulm, warniny: the settlers aloiii^- the Little Cottonwood, reached
the residence of Robert Jones (Indiana;. Evan Jones and John
J. Shields, who were harvesting- in Mr. Jones' field, immediately
hurried througdi the Welsh settlement of Cambria spreading- the
startling- news. Most of the peo]>le were harvesting- and did not
believe the report. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon three men
in a lig-ht wag-on, drawn by tw(j horses, were seen going at full
speed down the Alankato road, through the Welsh towns. They
proved to be (lermans from New l^lm. Two sat on the driver's
seat with their gims in their hands, loaded and cocked, the
other, a large lleshy jierson.sat on the bottom of the wagon-bed,
face backwards, holding a cocked revolver jiointed in each haiul
and trembling-. like a leaf. "The Indians are killing and burn-
ing all west of New Him and we are going to Mank;ito after
help," was all they had time to say.
THE wr.I.Sn IX MIXXESOTA. / .-^
The settlers luirriL.l hotne t.. their families rind the cM ..xen
were sodii hitehed U> tin- wat^-Dii, the wife ami ehihlrei! with a
buiulle of eh. thill-- ami heihliiiu" ami some |l^(.vi-^i<.Ils were .[uieklv
stowed away in it. The dn,.r of the Iol;- eahiii was locked and
leaving the stock to care for itself the inajority of the people
congTeg-uted toL;-ether, four or ti\-e families in one cabin, to jiass
an anxious nii^dit. .\ few lied at once to South lieiid. Some
had their tables spread for supper when the news c;mie. and
leavini,'- the dishes and biod untouched thev lied U>r their lives.
The Welsh people .d' Kureka. in Nicollet countv. heard cd"
the outbreak the same afternoon through \Vm. Pa<ldoek. of Man-
kato, who had just come from New rim with .loe Kobert to Nic-
ollet, and walke.l thence to ICvan iJowenV h.mse. Ilowen took
Mr. Paddock in his wa^on and hurried throULTh Judsoii to South
Bend and Mankato with the r.'jiort. About in o'clock in the
morning- of that same day — only about six hours before the news
arrived — eig-ht or ten Sioux warriors had passed throuirh South
Bend g-oing- west. Tlu-\- v.-ere .'ill deckeil in war jviint and went
along the street in marcliim^- order, beating- an Indian drum. It
•was also noticed that they carried themsehe^ much more deliailtly
than usual and ne-\-er saluted any of the whites with the custo-
mary "iio-no."
The peojile, howe\-er, thougliL they were sim]dy mimicing-
■white soldiers. When.' these Indians came from ;ind *wliither
they went is a mystery to this day, for no one saw them after
they left the vill,-L'_;-e. Whether they had been on a visit to the
Winnebagoes or elsewhere, and were returning home ignorant of
the outbreak, or whetluT they were messengers which Little
Crow had sent to the Winnebagoes to inform tlieiii cd" the out-
break and request their co-operation is not k'nown.
So unexpected was the attack that the people everywhere at
first discredited all the reports, until fully continued.
The messenger which Sergeant I!isii,,i> had sent M<mday
night reached St. Peter before daylight Tue-'diiy morning and
reported at once the cndition ><( things to Lieut. Culver and
Maj. Galbraith. Ilavin- bmnd some Harper's Ferry ritles at
St. Peter they armed the Renville Kangers, and with only three
rounds of ammunition apiece they started back for the fort at (>
a. m., -^vhich they reached after 12 hours hard march, completing
its list of defenders.
St. Peter. Mankato. S.mth Ben.l, Niadlet and all the vil-
lages were in a turmoil of excitement all Monday nig-ht, and for
many days and nights thereafter bir that matter.
/() THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA.
I'ublic inectinijfs were hold, ^-dluntccrs were calleil for. mili-
tary i.)rt;';Lnizatiiiiis were I'drined. arni> ami amiminitimi pnieiired.
A company of ei^'^htei-ii, of which A. M. IJean was chnsin cap-
tain, was formetl at Xicullet Tuesday murnini:- and proceeded at
once to New Ulm. where they arrived almut 1 o"cl<.)ck ]k in. The
town seemed paralyzed with fear. ]Iundreds of refu-ees had
come in from the country round and confusion and terror reiL^netl
supreme.
Captain IJean's comjiany was the iirst helj> to arri\-e. There
were two Welshmen fmm the iCureh-a settlement in this com-
pany, namely (Iril'lith Williams and iiis brother 'IMios. I). Wil-
liams, who remlered splendid ser\ice at all the Xi.w I'lm hat-
ties. Two other Welshmen, Wm. .T. Jones and Kdward Dack-
ins, reached New I'lm from Judson this afternoon in lime to
participate in the liattle, where they did g-allant work, both be-
ing- well armed and -ood slK.ts. They joined the S,.Hth IJen.l
company later, barricades ni wai^ons and boards were throwTi
across the street near the center id town. About 4 o'clock in the
afternoon Little Crow and his warriors arrived near the villa^'e
and beyan the attack.
Five houses on the outskirts of town were soon captured
and burned by them, and their bullets beiran t(^ whistle thick
even into the center ^>i town. ()ne ball i-danced from the
side of a brick buildini,'- and hit a voting- woman, named Pauli,
in the forehead, killini;- her instantly. Another strav bullet
killed a butcher in his shop. John Xi.\ had succeeded in ors^an-
izing a few New Ulm peojile into a ci.nnpany and they with
Capt. Bean's company formed the only defense. The .yreat liulk
of the people were in a frenzy of fear, liidint,"- in cellars and
closets.
The little handful of defenders. thouLfh most of them were
but poorly armed, returnetl the enetny's lire with vif,'-or and held
them in check for about an hour, when L. M. Uoardman with
sixteen men, moiuited and well armed, arrived, and with this
re-enforcement the Indians were, after a sh.arjt enii-ayement,
driven back and at <lusk retired from the held.
• Had the savai^'-es known the true state of affairs at New dm
they might have taken the town easily that afternoim and mas-
sacred all the 1,2(11) to l,.s(M( people, including refugees that it
then contained.
Little Crow's army seemed to ha\-e diminished greatlv since
it left Fort Kidg-ely in the morning. The tem]>tation to murder
and plunder the defenseless farmers proved too much for most
TEE WELSH IX MIXXI'.SOTA. //
of the warridrs ami thov had scattcrcil over the eountry for that
purpose. Tlie Indians siijiposed the houses at the center of town
were full of men ready to fire upon them if they entered and con-
cluded that their number was too small to attempt it. So that
eveninf;: Little Crow and his warriors returned toward the flower
Ag-cnc}- to hold another council, yather tojrether ayain their
scattered forces and to see if the lartfe re-enforcements expected
from the ITjijier .:\L;ency had yet arri\-ed.
On the morninLT of this same Tuesday a number of the men
who had lied to New Tim the nvj;hi before from the settlements
on the Biy Cottonwood and a lew miles to the west, or^-anixed
themselves into a comjiany ;ind went back to their homes in
(juest of missinLT relatives and friends. They sjient the dav in
buryir.j.;- the dead and ]iiikini;- up the wounde.l and those in
hidinir, whom they sent by team to New I'lm. and late in
the afternoon as they themseh'es were returninu- in two di\-is-
ions they were ambushed by a part o: I^ittle Crow's armv at a
])lace where the road passed a sIouL^di within a mile of town and
eleven of their numl)er killed.
At St. IVter the people had been busv all day oryaniziny a
company for the relief of Ni'W Clm.
At 4 o'clock in the morning- word was sent tot'has. E. I'^lan-
dreau, then jud;,'-e of the supreme court, who lived at Traverse,
about a mile from St. Peter, reipiestiny him to come and help
form a compan}-.
Ho immediately coin]ilied, and by noon. Sheriff iloardman
was sent ahead with sixteen mounted men. who reached Xe^v
I'lm just in time to hel])save it at the first battle. .TudL^-e Flaii-
dreau followed with the main body of the company numbering
over a hundred. They were also accompanii'<l bv a sipiad
from Le Sueur under Capt. Tousley, making;- in all about 12,s
men. They reached New I'lm between S ami '• o'clock in the
evening- in a ]>ourini;- rain. A company was also formed at
ISIankato the same day and another at South IJend. The Man-
kato com]>any numl>ered al)out eiL,''htv men. and Win. IJierbauer
was their cajitain. IMie South lJen<i company com]irised about
as many men and J. 1). Zimmerman w.is ca])tain and .lehile
Cheney and Minor Porter were lieutenants. More than half of
this company were Welshmen.
Tuesday mornin;;- the ;ieople of the Upper Welsh settlement
(then known as Cottonwood or JSutternut \'alley, now Cambria >.
who had spent the ni^dit b)ur or live families to<,rether in a
house, were in nuich uncertaint\- as to what to do. Some fa\-ored
78 TiiK \v}:i.sn ix -■\iinni-.s()i'a.
flcein'r to South IJcnd or Mankato. otluTs thous^iit the report of
the outljreak to he a false rumor, or at most an exairLTerated ac-
count of some drunken brawl. Thos. V. Davis, John Shields
and one or two others eoncluded to l;-'> up toward New Ulin and
ascertain the truth about the luattrr. When near the Fvittle
Cottonwood river they met some refuLTecs who said the Indians
were coming- close b_v, killini;- and huniin,-- evervthini,-- before
them.
Returnini,'- at once on the full riui they warned the settlers.
The very smoky comlition id" the atmosphere that morniui,'-
seemed to corroliorate the story. Ne\er \\ere horses or oxen
hitched to waL;-ons more (piickly than thm. and in a few seconds
the road was lineil with teams .ill on the full gallop, tlie ox-
teams xieini;- with, tile I'.orse-teams in the wild race for South
Eend, while the excited drivers -[died their whips to ur^'e their
Speed ui> hill and down hill, fearing- at e\ery turn to see the In-
dians or to hear tile crack <d' their u'nns ami their sav,[!;-e war-
whooj). In a short time the wlnde country was evacuated.
Most of the ])eople went to South Hend and Mankato. lillin--
these towns to overllowini,'-. A number of the Cottonwood fam-
ilies, however, took refuse in the houses of Iluj^'-h Ivlwards, \Vm.
J. Roberts and John I. Jones, on .Minuopa creek.
Wednesdav niorninLTthe r^Iankatti cnipany and about thirty
members of the South iJend comji.iuy v.ent ui> to New I'lm to
hear the news and aid, if necessary, in its defense.
Hug-h Edwards and Rev. John W. Roberts took their teams
to transjiort the Baii-.uaLre of the South Bend comjiany and D.avid
T. Davis and his team also were ]>res-ed into the same service
and went as far as the Tattle Cottonwood. This company had
been recruitiny men all the wav throuirh the Welsh towns, antl
had received many accessions, especially at Huyh Edwards'
place and at Judson villaue, until it numbereil over ninety men
when it entered Xew I'lm, about the mi. Idle of the afternoon.
The Mankato comjianv arrived an hour or two later. The
first tiling- after their arri\ al each compaTiy was marched U]> to a
buildinLT and siiown the mutilated bo. lies •>( the eleven men who
had been ambushe<l and killed the day before near town when
returning- from an expediti.m up the Cottonwood. The g-hastly
spectacle of those rem.iins spread <.ut upon the lloor, hea<ls
all scalped and some severed from theb.Mlv. the arms and- leg's
of some also chopped n\]' and otherwise mutilated, was enouyh
to impress each one with therealitv of the Indian outbreak, and
many of the boys who had thought that lighting Indians would
:'■ ' ■ , THE WELSH IX MINNlvSOTA. V'J
be a nice pastime beyan to look scrinus and wish themselves
back ht)me. Jmli^e Flamlreau hatl been seleetetl commander in
chief, and he had appointed Capt. Todd, of St. I'eter. provost
marshal.
Other Companies of citizens from Le Sueur and elsewhere
also arrived until the defenders numberi'd 4(i(i to Si») men. Their
military' organization was perfected as well as could be and the
town put into a fair state of defense. The defenders, howe\'er,
were onlv a crowd of farmers and tiiwn peo]ile who knew noth-
ing of military life. There was not a soldier amoii;,'- them.
They had no idea of drill or ilisciplinr. Thev had not enlisted
in an_y reyular way, Imt lunl simply come together voluntarilv
for mutual ]ir(itection as lon^- as each saw lit. Hence there was
not that restraint and subordination anion;.,'- them seen amonL,--
reg-ular soldiers. Thev were also poorlv armed. ()nlv a few
carried j^ood rilles. The ^"-reat majority liad only ordinary shot
g'uns, while many ha<l no weapon whatexer excejit a pitchfork
or a scythe. During- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday no In-
dians appeared in the immediate vicinity of New L'lm. Their
attention durinir those days was taken uj) with the attempt to
capture Ft. Kidg-ely, and with the destruction of remote white
settlements, such as those of Lake Shetek, Norway Lake antl
others.
Foiled in their ])lan to cai>ture New Flm Tuesday afternoon,
the Indians concluded to carry out their original plan and cap-
ture Ft. Kidg-ely tirst. The principal white settlements west of
New Uhn lay alont;- the Minnesota and the twc) Cottonwoods,
and these had been completelv devastated by lire and tom.-ihawk
on Monday and Tuesday, so there was no more tuel ct)nvenient
to feed the savage fury without the capture of Fort Kidgely and
New Ulm.
The hundreds of savages who had been eng-aged in the
fiendish slaughter had returned to their villages near the L<iwvr
Agency by Wednesday morning, so that Little Crow was al)le
then to muster a large force to attack the fort.
The fort stands on the high bluff overlooking the valley .d'
the Minnesot:i. It is almost surroundeil by ravines. In front is
the valley of the Minnesota. ( )n the east and north is the dee])
■\^'Ooded ravine of Lone Tree creek, which here enters the Min-
nesota from the north. On the west a short s])ur from the Min-
nesota valley projects <iut a short distance into the ]irairie. So
that the small p.iint on v.-hicli the fort was situated is connected
with the great prairie, of which it is a part, by a narrow strip
80 TiiK wKi.sii IX :.iixN]:s(>TA.
only on the northwest. Thus located, the fort was quite acces-
sible to an Indian attack.
There were now at the fort between ninety and one hundred
soldiers, well armed and fairly well disciplined; forty to forty-
five Renville Ranu^ers, poorly armed with old Harpers Ferry
muskets and withcnit any militar}- training-, twenty-five to thirty
citizens armed with such sjfuns as could be found in the fort, and
Sarg-eant Jones with six small cannons, only three of which
could be manned and used. About 1 o'clock p. m. Wednesday,
Little Crow and a few of his warriors showed themselves on the
prairie to the west of the fort and seemed to desire a conference.
The purpose of this demonstration, however, was simply to dr;iw
the attention of the L^'arrlson in that direction a,s soon became
apparent. The main body of the Indians had i>assed down the
Minnesota vallev unobserved and i^ot into the Lone Tree creek
ravine, from which they char^-ed with great fury upon the
northeast corner of the fort, where there was an open space be-
tween tlie fort buildings. By a quick movement, on the part of
the soldiers, this charge was met and after a short, sharp strugr-
gle the Indians were repulsed and driven back into the ravine.
From this cover they ixmred deadly volleys into the fort at short
ning-e until the cannon could be used upon them.
Among the Renville Rang-ers were a few half breeds from
the Lower Ag-ency who were in secret league with the Indians
By some means two of these managed, unobserved, to remove the
charges from the cannons and to stuff them with rags, and then
that nn)rning under the jiretext of going- after some kinnilcinic
deserted to the hostiles. The condition of the cann<ins was not
discovered until it was attempted to use them at this attack.
As soon as possible they were u'ot into condition and the Indians
shelled from their advantageous position. The battle continued
all that afternoon, but towards night the Indians retired having-
failed in all their ;atenipts to storm the fort. Thursday was
spent by the Indians in uathering- further re-enforcements frf m
the Upper Agency and elsL'where, and in mak-ing ]>reparation
for a second attack. Friday afternoon August 22) about 1
o'clock. Little Crow with from 5iin to doo v.arriors commenced
the second attack on the fort, which continued all that after-
noon until dark. Tlie Indians b>ught with desperate deter-
mination and kept a constant shower of bullets and' ar-
rows jiouring against tlie birt from all sides. The prin-
cipal attack, however, was made on the southwest corner, where
thev captured the government stables. A well directed shell
lir ^:.
^i X'i , ^^ .
- '-^
..^^
Mankato. Minn.
The rear of the Normal School is shown on tlie left, the Court House on the ri^ht, an
High School building in the center.-
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lA-:---';-'--'--' ^ :'-.^-/-r.;-„.;- •^iiv.;:k' :
Grove of Humphrey J. Roberts, Esq., Judson, Minn.,
Where the "Big Meetings' of the C. M Churches' h.ive been held for years.
TIIH WHI.SII IN MIXNKSOTA. bl
from Scri^cant Jones' cannDii set these (Ui lire and they Iniriieil
to the i^ruunil. The Indians tried tn lire tlie fnrt hy shontinj,--
burning- arrows into the r.iol's but the shin^rh-s heitii;- wet I'roni
recent rains rel'useil to burn. A number of Indians were massed
in the ravine on the north-east eorner and a lieree ehar^'e was
made from that (|uarter. but it was repulsed. KeeidnLr u\) a
hot tire from this side the Indians tried to h.dd the attention (d'
the whites here, wliiie they seeretly massed a hirye I'oree in tlie
ravine on the south-west to make anotlier eliarLre from that
quarter. The mo\ement was fortunately discovereil ami one of
the unused eannons was ]>ut in jiositiiin on the west side with
Serg-eant MeCraw in ehar^e and the shells from this piece
added to those from Jones' pieee soon dispersed the savaires.
No sooner had the ehiefs inass..,l a numlier of tiieir warriors
-at some speciiil point tlian a shell from one of the cannons would
scatter them lik'e autumn leavi's. The whites were running;-
short of ammunition and a numbered' men and women were kept
busy makiuLT bullets. Nail rods were also cut into shiu's and
used as bullets, makin-- a most unearthly noise as they passed
throug-h the air. g-reatly terrifyini;- the Indians.
The Indian bullets, which fell thick within the f.irt. were
also ""fathered and reniouldeil to be sent back" on a second mission
of death. Toward niLi-Iit the Indians retired an<l the second
attack on Ft. KidL;-ely was over. That niudit Little t'row re-
ceived word from his scouts which directed his attention else-
where, anil the fort was saved. The whites fou-ht from under
cover and hence their loss was verv vmall-onlv three killed ;ind
thirteen wounded. The Indi.ans claim their loss in killed was
only two, hut the whites estimated from fresh graves fotunl
around the fort that their dead must have been o\er a hundred.
It is alleg-ed that when the last attempt to mass their b.rces U>v
a charge was made, that Sergeant .Inm.-- slew seventeen id them
with one shell. The truth prob.ably lies somewhere between
the two reports, as the Indians usu;ill v trreatlv under estimateil
their loss while the whites generally over estimated it.
Let us now return to New Ulm to trace the course of events
there.
This town had not been molested since Tues<lay and was
wholly in the dark as to the movements of the enemv, expecting
another attack' any moment, (luards were stationed .aroutld the
town night and day, and as it rained much of the time this duty
was anything but pleasant. Thurs.lav a sipiad (d' men w;is sent
out into the countr\- to reconnolter. 'I'hev saw no Indians nor
82 THE wia.sii ix mixni:.sota.
white rclu-cL-s, luit at every settlement, thev CiLine acniss scores
of (lead lM>(i;es of men, women ami children, \vli<. had been
butchered by the s.iva-vs.
The deiiartiire for New I'lm of the Mankato and Sonth
]5ond companies had talceil from the latter towns most (d the
able bt.died men an, 1 about all the -uns and amuuinitioii, s,, that
these places were in ,|nite a defenseless condition. There was
nothing- to prevent the Sioux I rom passinu-- bv New I'lm as they
had passed bv I'^t. Kid-elv and f.iU upon the country to the east.
The Winiieb. 1140, s were known to be on the most intimate
terms with the Sioux, and there was ai>undant evidence that the
two nations intendeil to join in the m.Lssacre and that messaL;-es
were then beinu' pass,;d between them. The Winneba-o reser-
vation comprised t!:e present towns of Mcl'her->on, Decoria,
Kapidan, I.yr.i, IJeauford and Medo, in Idue Ivirth founty, and
the b)ur towns .idjwiniuL;- on the east in Waseca County. 'Idins
they adjoined the townsh ips ol Mankato and South llen.l. Fri-
day moruin-- the rumor came to New I'lm that the Sioux and
Winnebauoes were l;. Mn-' to un ile in an attack on South llenl
and Mankato. 'IMie horrible butcherv ami mutilati<m ol women
and children thev had seen in their excursions west of New Tim
and upon bodies bniui;ht into town by burial p.irties had made
our stout hearted vcdunteers shudnler f<.r their dear ones
at home left in such a defenseless condition. The rumor
that the sava-es were about to attack them, therefore,
determined the South Ueiid comp.mv to return home imme-
diately. There was a little opjiosition to their departure (.n the
part of some of the other defenders, but with .iud-e lluck to
champion their cause, they were alloweil to depart in peace.
About a dozen ni the company remained at New I'lm and were
incorporated into the Maid<ato company. Of this nund.er were
Joshua Wi-lev, .l.dm C. Jones, A. S. Vanl'atten. (leo. Cilley
and others. 'I'he balance of the South llend company, about
seventy-live strong;-, marched home. In jiassinL;- throu-h the
woods and ravines <d' the Hi^' t'ottouwood they were in momen-
tary exiiectation of an ambush by the Indians, and it was evi-
dent that there were Indians in the vicinity, for Indian do-s
wore noticed crossiui;- the roail a number of times.
This same I'Viday morning- a relugee came to New Tim
seeking- help to rescue eleven persons, who were hid in a clump
of bushes on the \','\v; Cottonwood, near Sleepy I'^ye. An expedi-
tion of about 14(1 men w.is at <MKe sent upon this mission; and
thev took with them nearlv-.ill the best -uns in New Ulni.
THE WELSH IX JllNNESOTA. 83
Those left to L;-uanl tlio town were less than a liumlreil in miin-
her,and verv pourly armed. The expedition Inund the rein -ees
and then decided, as it was hite in tlie .hiy and the distance hack
to New rini rather ton nuK li to nndertake. to i^n nu to Leaven-
worth ami jiass the ni^lit there and ne\t day seour the ecuintry in
thtit vicinity in the hone ol savini^- ..ther relUL;ees. As they were
mrirchiny, however, they thoiiL;-lit they heard the liMoni of can-
non in the direction ul l-'t. Kidi;ely. riiuibini;- u|ion an emi-
nence on the i)rairie, they could plainly hear the cannonailin-
and knew that the Indians were then attackiiiL;- the lort.
A C(jnsidtation was at once held. Tlu.se expert in Indian cus-
toms had noticed Indian si-iis, consistiui^ol small lo.ips made
of i,^rass luniu-on the tallest hunches oi i^Tass on the prairie in
such a way as to indicate to their comrades the directi<m in
which they had -.-ii-. A numherid times ais,, thev had cau-ht
•.glimpses of Indians skulk-in-' hehind kn.dls. 1 h". Daniels, n\'
St. Peter, had been the Indian phv-ician at the L.>wer
Sioux Agency h.r years, and knew them well, and he and Mr.
Ayres, id' LeSueur, made stron^^-- siieeches ur^-in-- the return ol
the expedition to X.-w I'lm at once, as they were sure there was
mischief hrewim.;-. The matter was put to a vote and the ma-
town by 2 o'clock in the mornini;-.
That ninlit, when Little Crow met his liraves in council in
the ravines of l''t. K'id-elv. his spvs hrMU-ht important news.
New I'lm was in a defenseless Condition. Seventv to ei-hty (d'
her defenders had returned home toward South \:^-m\, while H(»
others were wanderiuL;- o\er the prairies near Leavenworth.
Now was a splendid opportnnitv to capture this im|iortant
town, with all its rich spoil, slau-diter its 1,.^(mi to l.Siio inhabi-
tants, includin-- refu-ees, and then turn and annihilate the
force out at Leavenworth. The plan was admirable and doubt-
less wmild have succeeded had not the defenders, contra ry to
the Indian expectation, returned, as we ha\ e stated, that nii^ht.
With the dawn next niorninu' i Saturdav, Aui^ust 2.M the
Indians raiseil the siei^e ol l''t. Kid^el \ . much to the relief of
that yarrison, worn out with li^litiiiL;- and constant L;uard duty
and WH)rsc than all with .immunition nearly exhausted.
About S o'clock the people of New I'lm notice<l a numlier of
iires breakin-- out on the opposite, or Nicollet, side of the .Min-
nesota ri\er. ThroULjh spy-Lrhi^ses a few Indians could be seen
^■■oini,'- from farm to f.irm setting,'- lire to the houses, barns and
stacks of i^rain, A company of si.xtv-li\e to se\eiitv men, well
84 TIIK WKr.SH IN MINNKSOTA.
armed, mostly citizens of Nicnllot Cniinty ;ui<l interested in
I)r()i)erty<m that side ot the river, volunteered under Capt. Wni.
iluev, of Traverse, to i^'-o across the river and drive the Indians
away.
A few of the defenders, hest posted in Indian warfare, pro-
tested a-ainst the move, chiimiiiLT that this Indian demonstra-
tion was a mere feint to dr.iw the men across the river and cut
them off from the town. Tliat the real attack wouhl come from
another (piarter. The warnini;-. however, was not heeded and
the companv passed .i\er the river, leavini,'- twentv men to .i;uard
the ferry. No so.mer had thev -.>ne sume littK' distance up the
Nicollet side than a nund.er of In.lians c.mcealcd in the brush
attacked the lerry -uards, who IK-.I for their lives. The Indians,
after crossing- over to the New I'lm side, cut the ferry loose.
C.apt. lluev and his men then found that they could not
g-et back to town, as the river much swollen with recent rains,
could not be crossed without the ferry, and the Indians were
firing upon them from the brush. Tliey, therefore, retreated
toward St. Peter.
The success of this part of the proLTramme the Indians an-
nounced by means (d' lire si- nals, and the main bodv <d' Little
Crow's .army was seen to issue from a point of timber about two
or three miles northwe-^t of town on the llrown County side of
the river. As they kept pourinL^out (d the timber and weavinn'
in and out am. mi-- each other like a -reat swarm of bees, it
seemed as thou-h there were thousands of them. The whites
marched out to meet them and b.rnied in line of battle on the
hiy:h table-land about a .|U.irter of a mile west of town. The
Indians made a very -rami spectacle as they swarmed over the
prairie in apparently countless numbers, with their weapons
glistenin-- in the sun. When within a ([uarter id' a mile of the
whites they spre.id out like a fan, ad\-aticini;- on a run, lirin--
their -uns, brandishing- their tomahawks and yellin-- their war-
wlioops.
The whites were only a crowd of raw, undisciplined recruits
fresh from the farm and shop who had never been under lire be-
fore, and as the Indians outiunnbered them more th.in two to
one and approached in such a lierce manner, it is no wonder
they wore seized with a jianic and tied into town as fast as their
feet could carry them. Many hid in cellars and other places of
concealment .-inil nearly all -ot into houses. A few of the
l>ravcst, howe\er, retreated in a more orderlv manner, lirin-- at
the Indians as thev retired and luddin-- them a little in check.
TiiR wi'i.sii IX :\rixxESOTA. So
The Indians followed tlic rnut to the cdi^o of town and tlicrc
pausoil as thonyh afraid to enter. Had they tlu'n ruslud in,
there is no douM hut they niiu'lit have takJn New rini an.l
slan<;htered all the I'eople withont niiieh re-^istanee ; but, as thev
afterwards explained, they lliou^-lit the precipitate llii;-ht .d' the
whites was a mere rnse to draw them into an amhush, heiue
they .lid not dare advance between the hou->es. The hesit.ation
on the ]>art of the Indians Lrave the whites an opportunitv to
rally. A squad of men un.ler.hdin F. Mea-her. to<d.- p, .ssessi,,n ..1
an unlinished briek buildinL;(in the rid-'e we^t (d town and opened
a lirisk lire on the enemy. As this ;iosition was too far out for
the best service in ilefendiuL;- the vill.m'e they soon retired on'
the run, thoui;h in order, toward town ;ind Mr. .Mea-her, with
most of the Mankato cmpany under him, was assio-ne,l i,, the
southeast side (d' town, on the main street leading;- toward St.
Peter and Mankato. Another sipuid in which were John t'.
Jones and .(osluia Wi-ley Li'ot into ar.other unlinished lirick
buildinjr <m top of the ridL,'-e just mentioned wlu-re thev
fouyht bravely, k-eepiiiL;- the Indians at b.ay until .about 4 o'clock
p. m., when they retre.ited t.. the wind mill ne.ar by. This thev
found occupied by lAan T. .loues. of Le Sueur Countv, \]. 1'.
Freeman, of Mankato, .1. 1'.. 'I'ro-den, Kev. C. A. Stines and a
number of other excellent shots.
The Indians were thick .m the rid-e when this lirst s.piad
reached the mill and thev had to ]>ass throUL,'-li ;i shower of Iml-
lets. They all reached it, however, aiiea.l ,d' the Indians, and
Rev. Stines was the only one hit. and he Imt slii^-'htlv in the
shouhler. Once inside tliey barricaded the door and fn.mthe
windows ipiickly opened a dea<llv hre(m the enemv and drove
them from the rid.^-e into the shniyh beyond.
New Ulm is beautifully located at the \' of the hi-h table
land, where the valleys n{ the Minnesota and the Uvj: Cotton-
wood come t. .--ether and on the side of the \' facing- the .Minne-
sota. The hiL,'-hway from South IJend, .Mankato and points
east passed through its principal street, in a north, north-
westerly direction to Kort KidL;-ely, the Sioux ;i,i,rencies and
points west. Most (d' the houses then, ;is now, were Iiuilt ahniL,''
this street, called Itroadwav. Within a block to the ri-ht comers
the bluff, slopin-- to the valley of the Minnesota one hundred
and fifty feet below, while about tw,. blocks distant to the left
a rounded ridy-e rises forty or tifty feet, extendinL,-- the entire
len<rth of town. Not darini;-, as we have stated, to chari;-e into
town, the Indians proceeded at once to surround it. Some j>assed
.S(i
UK Wl-'.T.SIt IX :\IIXN'l
down the river \-:illey ami were joined \,y tliM-^c emssiim' rnmi
tlie Nienllet sidr. l.ut tin- main h.,dv rireled r.>iin(l llie town l.aek
of t-1u- rid--o, to llio s..iuluve>t mitil tluy eame to the
Suiitli Helld and Mankat.i road at thr extreme southeast
enil of town. In massin-- thrir main loree here thr Imlians mav
have int.nide.l to v lU olt llu- retreat of the wliites, or stop thrir
conimunieations ami r> -i-nforeemcnts. orthev may ha\e thou;;h t
this the most advanla-'eoiis point i<i atlaek. However, this
may have licen. hen- l.ittl.' Crow fixed his luadqnarters in a
small storr huildin-- .ipposiir w!u-re tin' old potUTy stood. Knun
this side now eame the prineipal .ittaek.
deserted the Indians l„--an to work their way from houso to
house toward the e.nt.T ot t..wn. Sv'einLT this, the whiles hruMn
to lire the buildings as th, v r.'tr.alrd fr-nn them. In the exeite-
ment, however, om- lar^r sion- iiuildiiiL;' ■ 'U tiu' main street was
jiassod ami twenty or thirt\- Indi.ans sreiuL;- l!u- advaiitaij^e ([uiekly
L;-..t hehinil it. .lust then thr watehmen siatiomdon the Hat ro.,|
of Crone's storr notieod a laruT numh.-r of men standini;- near the
hrnwid'the hluff where the road iroin .Mankato and St. I'eter
enters town. As re-en foreements were exp.Tled from Col. Sih-
ley.it was thon^ht at onec that Ih.v had eome an.l on aseendin-'
the hill and serin- the housos hurnin- .all around wre afrai<l
to enter thinkin-- th.' Indians had full po-,. -ssi, ,n. Capt. W. 11.
Todd, cd' St. Titer, who w.is next to Col. Klandran in eonim.md.
su','-,i.rested to.Iohn !-\ Mea-her that thev take a detaehment of
men out to meet thrse ])eopi.' and lirinu'" them into town.
The capt.iin was warned that there were Indians hack of
the store huildini;- just mentioned. He wanted the men to
ehar--e an<l dri e>- them aw.iv. This thev refused to do, an.l, put-
in.-- spurs to his horse, the eaptain u'rilloped down the street,
deelarin-- he would drive them out himself.
'Pile moment he passed the corner of the huildin^- he was
met by a fe.arful volley. He mana-ed to wheel his horse round
and yallop i,aek a sho'rt . list, mee, when hor-.e and rider fell dead
in the street ridilled with bullets. The eaidain w;is :i brave and
able man, btlt h.id one failiiiL;- he was loml of li,pi,,r and this
the people of New I'lm foidishlv distributed in unlimited .pian-
tities to .ill the deb-nders free of e,.sl. Mr. Meaudier .and liis
men, .atnoiiL,'- whom were Tlios. Y. D.ivis and two or three other
Welshmen, erossed the street and -ot into a blaeksmith shop
whieh eoiumanded the front of llie buildini^- in (|nestion. while
another s.iuad covered the rear. Two men adv.aneed towanl the
TtIK Wia.SII IN MIXXI'.SOTA.
side of the buildin- t.. liiv it. Tlu- Indians tluMi K.'ut a liastv
rotroat followed l,v a vnllcy Imm AFr. .M>.'aL;-IuT"s command.
The suppnsod ro-rnl(iri\-nu'nts tunud .ait l.i Wo I.ittlc Cmw and
As tlic wind Idfw Innn the soutlicist it dr.ivc tlu' smuko nl
the liurniilLi- Imildin^-s towards town. alfoniinL;" c<nu- (.'almrnt tu
tlio Indians as llu-y wnrnud tluir wav in. and, tlu-nd'or..'. to in-
crease the smoke, tliey also lined hon^es. l-"ortunatel v, h.iwever.
the wind eh.utU'ed :ind the ad\:inee of the Indians was then
cheeked.
The !.:re;itest lear.d the wliites w-as th.it the sava^.'s wouhl
concentrate at one point and eharu'e into town. Durin',;' the
afternoon the sentries on Crone's luiildini;- noticed a slroiiL;- con-
the hrow of the liill to tlie northeast of town, and .i nnnd.er of
the whites were i^athered to meel the attack, which somi came
with much fury. The whites were now in L;ood fiLihtinL;- tem]'.r
anil hravely cli:iru-e(l to meet the enemy, routini;- them with much
h)ss. The whites, however, h>st one of their hest shots .md
hravest men in tliis charge- Newell Ilou-liton of the Mank.ilo
company. I'he Indians h;ul completely invested the town in a
short time after their first .itlack, as we before stateii. an<l sime
that time they ha<l heen slowly w.irkm-- their w.iy in from the
outskirts toward the Center of town, where the whiles so.>n con-
centr.ateil all their force in the four princijial Mocks. The In-
dians had posteil a stroUL-- force at the he.id (d every street and
alley and their bullets whistled throUL.'-h town in every ilirection,
making- it danL^enais i,. cross anv street. Most..f the kill.d and
wounded were shot in crossing- streets. James Shoemaker, of
in H'oiii.i;' from place to pi, ice to encourau.'-e and direct the men.
One (d' the most hazardous duties ,.f all was that of distrilmtinL;
ainniunition to the men ;it the front in the outside circle (d
houses. Thos. Y. Davis, n.uv of Mank.ito, tinallv v.dunleered
to perform this ]HTilous work, and he tells of many a n.arrow
escape he had that Saturday dod^-i,,^- Indian bullets on the
streets of New I'lm. Once or twice he ni.ade his wa\' through
the midst of the enemy to supply ammunition to the ^^-arrison at
the windmill.
The larj^-'e ipiantitv of ammunition and L,''ood i,''uns which
the Indians had secured at the A<:cncies, at the Kerry from
Capt. Marsh's comi.;inv .and from the settlers they had killed, in
addition to the rather plentiful sujiply they h.ad themselves to
88 THE WKLSII IX MIXXKSOTA.
liei^-in with, vravo them iiTc;il advantao-c over tlic wliitcs. \vh.,
had vorv lew l;-(>ih1 ritlos and a wry limited supjily of aminuni-
tinn. So the firin-.d' the Indians o.uld he readilv distinguished
by tlie loud rei.orts of their well h.aded -uiis. Durinu" the li-dit
the Indians also kei»t up a constant yelinn- and yellm-- like
packs of wolves. This they did partly to e.-nimunieate orders
and enc(nirai,"-e eaeli other.
The summer (d" 1S(,2 had been rather wet and henee all vei,'--
etation h.ad ;;Town luxuriantly. As in all western villaLi'es, the
houses (d' New rim.exeept a few stores and sh,,ps in the renter,
were i|uite seatterini;-, eaeh surrounded with an aere or two of
land feneed in and o\er-rown with -Tas^ Uill and thiek. In
almost e\ery hack' yard were one or more small st;u ks ni hay
and Iiarns or sheds lorealile. On tile river side of town there
were s]irin--s eomin-- out (d' the Muff here ami there eausini;-
All this alTorded the Indi.ans a line opportunitv for their mode of
ti.^ditini,'-. Kixinu- turhans(d' -rass on their heads the 1. raves
would erawl like snakes throu-'h the -r.isv until close to town -
pour a volley into it, then wi^L^le haek without exposini,'" them-
selves in the least to the aim of the whites. The whites, now
determined to hum all the town outside of the lour center Mocks.
Soon after sundown the Indians withdrew after their custom to
their camp which tliev pitched on the oj'en prairie in ]il.iin view-
on the northwest side of town. The garrison at the wind-mill
now set the mill on fir.' and retired into town. Men sallied
forth and set all the outsi.le huildin-s ,,n lire. In all l'»2 houses,
besides barns, sheds, haystacks .nid fences were consumed.
A portion of the South I'.end company -amoiii;- them Wm.
Jones and D.ixid and J. dm S. Havies- had started back to New
Ulm this Saturday. When they reached the bluffs .)f the Hiir
Cottonwood they saw the sm(d^•e and tlanies of the houses burnt
in the afternoon, and concludiui^- the t..wn had been captured
beat a hasty retreat to South I lend.
Other Welshmen, who had o-,„ieup to Cambria to care for
their stock, also, noticed the smoke in the aftirnoon and from
the bluffs on 1). J. Davis' farm the llames ,>i the burniui;- h.mses
were plainly visible. Thev at once hastened to South JJend
and Mankato with the report that New I'lm had been taken by
the Indians and was beinii- saclced and burned by them. The
territied ]ieople, who had been stopjiiiiL;- four or live families
to.tretlier in farm li.uises al.nii^- .\Iinneopa (reek and elsewhere
hastened with all speed to S..uth llend and Mankato. In South
TiiK
WI-;
.SII IN MIXXESOTA. S')
Deiul tlic w
omen anil
■liil.
reii. iiuiiiberini,'- some hundreds were
all packed
int.. the se
■nn.
storvol the stone mill .if l^vans ^V
Price, whi
h still Stan
ds i
1 that \ illai;e. while all the men were
pressed in
1. service t(
. de
en.l the town. Hardly hall" ol them
h:td yuiis
.r any kin.
. til
e rest were ariiie.l with ]iitcli lork--.
axes and s^
vthes wine
1 li;
.1 been procured from the stores. It
was an aw
"ul ni-ht.
Tlu
red uliiw of the liurnini,'- citv rellected
upon tile c
l.iu.ls was 1
hiii
Iv \isilile from S.aitli ileiid, Mankat..
and St. 1'
eter. Mor.
th
m half the families m these three
towns had husbands, sons ,ir brothers am. mil;- the New rim
defenders and their sorrow and anxiety was pitiful. Then the
wildest rumors pre\aili-d. adiliiiL;' to the anguish an.l drea.l.
For instance, it w.as authentically state. 1 that niuht that s.i and
so had seen the Indians kill .loliii Shiel.U ami the List he saw of
his comrade, Thus. V. l>a\is, he was running- for his life with a
dozen savay-es close at his heels. At .Mankat. i a v.iuiiu- man
came rushiii;,.- up i"'r.int street with his hair literalh- st.in.linL;- . m
end shouting- that the Indians had come. That his lather ha.l
just seen lifty c.inoesnf them cmie down the river an.l l.inil
below the levee. As his father was a col lie.a.led man an.l
the Indians were expected, thest.irv was not doubted and the
wiklest terror and jianic ensued. 'I'he marshall, A. X. Dukes.
with John C. Wise, j.resent e.litor .if the Keview, C. I\. Cleve-
land and others h.istily mustereil ab.iut two dozen of the militia
to-rether (the rest were too busy just then, inspectini; their cel-
lerSj barns and .ither .l.ark retreats f.ir fear the Itnli.ins ma\-
have hid there, to hear the call t.i arms, , and marched .piicklv
to the i)lace and then crawled tllrou^•h the brush and behind
wood piles, expectini,'- every m.uuent to hear the crack of Indian
g-uns and feel the stiiiL;- of their bullets, until at last they reached
the river's bank and it w.as .liscvered to the ijreat relief
of all that the tifty can.ies .if In.li.ans consisted of .mlv a half
submerged lo--, over which the swasliinir .if the current at regu-
lar intervals ma.le a noise su^-...;-esti ve of the di]iiiin,Lr of .lars.
These rumors ha.l all the force, however, of realities f.ir the
time bcin.i;-. It was fully expected that the Si. lUx Hushed with
their victory over New I'lm an.l Kt. KiilL;elv ' bir there was no
(luesti.in then but both had fallen int.. their han.ls, i were .m
their way to .attack S.iutli llen.l an.l .Mankat.i ami woiil.l be
joined by the li.ir.les of the \Viiiiiebai;-.ies. It w.is ;i time to trv
men's souls, an.l many a man renowned for courage in time .if
peace, lost it all n..w, while others unlcn.iwn bir bravery dis-
closed her<_iic hearts.
')() TIIIC WICI.SH IX %tIXNi:s<>'rA.
The lirst news ..f the .uithrcalc ro.-u-lu'd St. Paul hito Tius-
(lay afteriK.Mn an. I Cixenmr Naiiisov, after roa.lini;- tlir dis-
]>atelies s^Mit liim hv \Avul. t^-re. and Au-iiil ( '.all.raith at (.nee
went t.. Menduta and e.^nnnis.innrd iCx-l ioverncr II H. Sild.v,
eoinniander-in-eliiif nl all the I'.irees with rank <d eolmul. t,i
fiirin an ex]Hiliti.in a^'ainst the Imiiaus. 'I'iir e(inii>ani\ s, \s hieli
ha<l enlisted at I'^t. SmllinL;- the day before, had. r..r the ni. .st
part.starti'il Iimiih. |,,r short lur!ui!L;hs. exeept those .d' the Sixth
KeL;-inient. Col. Siiilev immediately proereded to tlu' lort to
prepare' for thr expedition. 'vVord was s^nt direetinL;' I he fur-
li)Ui,'-lie(l m.m to report for dutv forthwith. The niajoritv of
Coiiii>any K of the Ninth KV-^iment. eont.iininu- a numlu r of the
Welsh volunteers from Dlue ICarth C'ountv, ha.l reaehe.l Shak,.-
pcc Tuesday eveiiin;;-. where tln' report (d the niassaere reaeh.il
tliem. They were or.lered to Carver and there await their .arms
and ammunition. 'i'hey were (dili^ed tti wait for these until
Thursday niorninu-. Thev then tocdc up their mareh for \I.in-
kato where they arrived i'"ridav a fternoou .and went intoeamp
on Van Tlrunfs North K'ow addition on the westerly si,l,' ,,f
town. They had with th.ni s.aled orders, wdiieh were opeiieil
and found to instrnet tlu-m to impress all the horses they needed
and rejxirt for duty at f.ake t'rvstal, to u-u.ird the Indian tr.ail
leading- between the \\'iiineba!4'o and Sioux At,'-enei(s, wdiieh
passed by the lak'e, and pre\-ent a junelion of the two tribes at
New rim. The -'bovs" immediately sallied out and to.ikjx.s-
session of all the horses they e.mld lind in M.inkato and vieinity.
and all thus i.rovided went with Cai.t. D.aneto L.ake Crystal
Saturday morniiii;-. The rest of the eom]Mnv suiijilied them-
selves with horses duriiiL;- this day and under Lieutenants Key-
sor and Koberts reported at the lake Sunday afterno.m. L.ate
in the aftern i of the same Friday ^Au^'ust 22 i that Capt.
Dane's company reached Mankato, Cn\. Sibley, with four eoin-
paniesof the Sixth KeL^'iment arrived at St. Peter after a tedious
inarch throu^-h the P.i^- Woods, where the roads were in a terri-
patehed l,ieut. )•:. St. Julian Cox, with seventy-four volunteers,
and Lieut. Ad.im Ihick, with forty-eiuht Henderson volunteers.
to the relief of New I'lm. Many not bein^- armed, flftv new-
Austrian rilles were issued to them.
Leavini^- St. Peter in the afternoon of S.iturday they ri'aehe.l
their destination Sunday afternoon. In the meantime the
Indians had resumed their attack on New I'lm early Sunday
niorniny. Kindiny the whites, howe\er, well entrenched and
THK WKI.SII IX jriNNI-.SO'I
01
coticcntriLUMl in tlir l,)i:r cciilor lilocks ..1 town, with all tlic cUkt
l)uil(liii,ns anuiii.l luinicl l.i tli.' u-niuiiW. s,, ilu'v must aPiM-.iarh
<)Vi_T tlic (linn -rounW to iiiak.' tlicir attarlc. tlirv soun irtiroil.
and i^Mtluriiii;- a lar-r ili-.i\c nl cattlr. loinid -Ta;',!!!";- in
tlu- river hottmii. {\\<-v Avuvr tlu-iii up towards tnwii and trird 1.,
ai>pr()acli in tlu'ir slultor. As s.mhi as ilu'\- (.anir within ranue
the whites lireil a vnllev int.. the cattle whieh eausrd them U<
stampede and the Indians stam]iedeil with tliem. 'Phre.- times
the Indians tried the ealth- breast \v.>ri^- experiment and eaeii
time with tlie same result. Diseoura^-eil .d' all hope tu eapture
the town and doubtless leariiinL;- throu-h their seouts that lari^e
re-enforcements f,ir the wliites were coiuinL;- close at hand, the
savaircs, after a slmrt cousnltalioii about 11 a. m., i^ave up the
li<rlit and withdrew in a b..dv up the Minnes,,ia A'alley whence
thev came. A few of the whites sallied out a short distance
after tliem ami cheered but the Indian^ hurried brisklv forward
driviniL,'- the cattle before them. In a short time Jim II.M.ser
rode into town with messai;-es from (apt. Dane, and the defend-
ers lirst learned th.it their lamili, s at S..ulh Keiid and .M.nik.alo
were safe. .liin w.r, a darin-- fellow, and that mornini;- h;id
volltntcere<l to ent.'r Xew I'lm or die. 'I'lie loss of the whites :it
the battle of New I'lm was 2') Icil le<l .ami about .sO wournKd.
This does not include citizens k-illedinthe . .utskirts .,f town.
The Indian loss is not known, asoniv two or three of their dead
fell into the hands of the whites. Thev j.robablv lost ne.arlv as
mail}- as the whites. 'riie\- made use of a building;' on the riiiL;-e
southwest ni town as .a hospital for their wounded .and kept ,a
wdiite sheet llo.atin- over it as a 11a- all .lav S.aturdav. Within
an hour or two .after the Indians dejiarted the re-enforcements
under Lieutenants Cox .ami Ihick were seen approachin;,^ the
town from the opposite direction. At lirst the peojile feared
they mii^-ht be Imli.ans, but their orderly march soon con-
vinced them to the contrary. I'pon onsultatioii held tiiat
afternoon it w.as found that both food and .ammunition
were nearly exhausted and the re-enforcements .av.ailed little
without these necessities. There were nearlv 2,iiOU people then
at New I'lm, the LjTe.at majority id' whom were women .and
children, and .all were p.acked into the few buildings left stand-
in<,r in the center (d' town. Then there were .a lari^e number of
wounded .and sick" b>r whom it w.as iin]iossible to ]iroperlv care.
In view of all these facts an.l the probability that the Imlians
would soon return, ]ierhaps in larger numbers, to renew the
attack, it was decided to evacuate the town e.arly on the morrow
^2 THK WKI.SH IX :\IINNi:SOTA.
and ^-o to South V.vnd and ^[allka1.(^ All wrro iKilil'iod U, he
ready for the luareh and every team in tnwii was [nit in re(iiiisi-
tion. Contrary tn instriietions the ]H'(,ple piled all manner of
personal ]iroperty on the \va<_;-ons until there was no room I'or
ohlio-ed to dump from the wa^'ons into the street, trunks.
two or three miles from towsi was in tact lined with i^oods
thrown from the too heavilv loaded wa^'ons and many a t.ar
was shed hy the thrifty C.erman house-wives at the loss of their
valuahles. liefore startint;- the st.ires were all thrown open ami
the i>eoi)le invited by the i)r< iprietors to take wh.itever thev
wished as it was suppose.! the Indians would i^'et all there was
left. Stryehnine w;is plaeed in three barrels of whiskey and
some Hour and brown su-ar for the benelit of the savai^-es. At
nine o'clock this Mond.iy morning- the barricades were thrown
down and the iirocessioti started. Then,' were 1 .^o wagons in
line and about 2,i»)n people. ( )nly the women and children and
the wounded .and sick were all. .wed U> ri.le. The d.denders
niarcheil s.une in fr.-nt, s.,me in the rear, and the rest on both
sides of the train with their -'uns re.ady to .lefend the women
and children in ;uiv eniern-.'ucv. There was L;-reat fear of an
ambush in the w.).Hle.l ravines of the l;ii,>- C >tt,>n w.h.iI, Little
Cottonwood an.l C.imbri.a Creek and much jirecauti.m tak'en in
crossin>f them. About a mile bey.)n.l Cambria Creek- the train
was joined by David J. and William J. \\'illiam^ ami their
mother, whose h.>me then was in an out .>f the wav place in the
wooded valley (d the M innes. ,ta, s.i they ha.l n..t kn.)wn <d' the
outbreak until that day. thoui,--!! New I'lm was .)nly ab..ut live
miles away and jieople had been munlered in Xicollet, much
nearer than that. As there were hundreds .d' refuLjees in S.iutli
Rend alrea.lv. the t..\vn c.iul.l n.it ace .mm. ..late this vast li.ist
and as many as could be in.luced to d.i so were sent on to Man-
kato. To feed the hunL;'ry nuiltitu.le, two lari;e oxen were
killed in the street just back .,f 1). 1'. Davis' jiresent st..re and
their llesh cut uj) an.l b..iled in f.mr lar,<,'-e iron kettles set .)ver
camp hres. J,,lin D. I'.vans. Davi.l D. ICvans and Tlu.s. J.
Jones, (I'.ryn [.lys ) had char-c ..f this out ,l....r meat sli.ip.
Just across the street in the biu' h.del still standing:. Miss
Klizabeth Davis mow Mrs. Richard J.mes of Cand.ria i had
charire of the brea.l .leiiarlnieiit ami f..ur barrels ,d' n.)ur were
converteil into biscuits bef.ire the cr.iw.l were satislied.
At Crisp's store in Ju.ls.m (where Mrs. Kobert I\'.iberts now
THE WJCI.SH IN MIN'Ni-.SO'PA. 93
lives) the rear ,L;-uanl rdiisistiii,!^- of the ecMiipailies of Lieutenants
K. St. Julian Cox an.l Ailani Kuek ami a jiart of the Le Sueur
c<>mi)an_v, uinler artiuL;- Lieutenant .1. 1".. Swan, halted for the
ni','-ht to i^niard the rear in ease the Indians shoul.l follow the
retreat.
It was a very dark, rainv. eold ni^dU. Late after niidni-ht
one of the sentries uotieed some olij.'et move ahead of him in the
tall -;-rass. lie ehallen^ed it. hut, in^te.id of answerin-'. it eame
strai-ht towar.l him. lie raised his -un and pulled the tri-u'er
hut the rain had wet the ea]. so it di.l not lire. .V weak, trenih-
lini,-- feminine voiee fell on his ear In-^inLC him not to shn,,i.
It proved to he a I'oor w.iman, Mrs. I larrinirton hy name, win.
eii,-ht days before had -.larted lo llee fro,,, lu-r InniU' on the KIl;
Cottoiuvoo<l with .1 numi.er of nei-Iil.or^. hut heiui;- overt.iken
by the Indians nearly all were nuirdered. She ium|>e,l from the
Indian bullet sped throu-h her b.ibe\ little hand, whiidi was
restinLr on her shoulder, and pas-.-d into her bo,ly. She r.iu into
the brush and liid. Dvvu the little b.ibe was eonseious of dan-.^er
and kept as still as a mouse, thonirli its little hand had been
fearfully laeerated by the cruel bullet. Sinee tiien she had spent
the days lii.lin- in bushes and swamps and the ni-hts wander-
ing' over the jirairies, snbsistini,'- <in roots, berries .and raw \ eL;"e-
tablcs, until this Mondavni-hl weak from hun-er. losscd bloo,l
and pain, wet an.l shiverin- with the eohl and her clothes torn
almost to shreds, her leel cut bv the Lirass, she saw the canij) lires
and determined to approach them rather than perish from ex-
posure in the slouch. The men kindly cared for her ami her
babe, and next mornin-- to.dc them to the hospital at .Mankato
and there the -hnl husb.md. who hapi.ened to lie east at the
time of the massacre, foiuid them.
Jud.i^e Klandreau and some ol the other idlicers, now that
the women and children and wounded h.id been disjiosed <d, and
supplies (d" b)od .md amnumitioii obtained, tried to induce the
companies who h.id rem, lined .it Crisp's farm to return to New
IThn and thus h,dd the Indians in check, but the men were
anxious to <;'o home and refused.
This same .Monday Col. Sibley sent Capt. Anderson from
St. Peter with fortv mountol nieilof the St. Paul Cullen (iuards
anil twenty foot soldiers in wai.^ons to succor New I'lm.
They reached the town 'Pnesday mornin-- and linditi-' it
deserted thev returned at once to St. IVter,
94 TIIK WKI.Sll IN MINNKSOTA.
Col. Sililcy liad left St. VcWv this Tuesday aftcriMmi ( Aui;--
ust2(.) with all his luivc inv Vi. Ki.i-vly and WVdiU's.lay this
teor c-ilizcti hors^'uicii iiinlcr Col. Mol'haill aii<l CI. Win. K. Mar-
shall made an ,ill ni-ht niarrh an,! rra.hod tlu- tort .arly Wv.U
ncs.lay nn^rnin^;-. \n:{w_r the lirst to arrive since the battle. Col.
Sibley with the inl.Liitrv entered tlie t..rt Thnrsdav, Au-ust
:s. in the meantime .lud-e Klandrau had been assi-'ned to the
command ol .ill t!ie milit.iry <iri,'-.Lniy..itions m Klue ICarth Countv
and points ^.)Uth and west, with heaii'iuarters at Sontli l;end.
Commissaries had bcMi established at St. Peter. Mankato and
South llcnd to leed the lu-itives there -athereil.
At the last named place .icdm D. I'.v.ins' shoe shop was the
Sherill i). Tvner. .M.irlial law was e\ eTvwhere in voo-u... and
private <iwner .ii ip of pn.pertv little respected. ICvery horse that
by the soldiery. Cattle were taken bv the auth.>rities without
compensation to the owners anil slauuii tered lor food as the pub-
lic necessity re.|uir>-d. 'riireshinL;- crews v.-ere also formed an<l
the stacks ni the larmers threshed and the i^T.iin taken and
y;rnund, without asking- the owner's lea\e. to supjily the common
need.
On Tuesday, August 2h. while Capt. Dane's company were
in their camp at K,.bins,,n\ place, at the .uit-lel .d' Crvstal Lake,
thev discovered a wa-on comin-- Irom the west liy lluffalo
proved to be refu-ees friiUi Lake Shetek- Messrs. ICverett, Clias.
1). Hatch and Kd-ar Ucntley an, 1 a Mrs. Mevers an,l her bmr
little chihlren. .Mrs. Me\ers ha,l been carrie,! fnnn her h,,me
on her sick be,l an,l her luisban,! h.i,l kit the ],arty two ,lavs
the ln,li.ins an,l L;et into town Imt c,,ul,ln,it .L;et out. Ashe
failed to return the party pushe,! ,>n until thev saw tlu- sol, Hers
c.minu ami thinkin- them t,.be In, liaus. Hatch an,l IJentley
lle,l int,. Kulfalo CroNe Lake an,! hi,l in the -rass. I'Aerett and
tlie .Mrs. .Me\ers cmhl not llee an,! the fri-ht tlirew tlu; w,.man
into couvulsi. Mis. After much tr,)nble the s,,|,liers nuule the two
men underslaml they were friends and thev came ,>ut of the
sK)U-h. .Messrs. ICverett an,l Hatch had been ba,!!y w.mnded.
All were taken t.i tlie li.isintal at .Maiikat,,, where Mrs. Meyers
died the next day. Tile liar.ish ips she ha, I under-^me pn.viu';-
t,_)o much f,.,r her eilfeeblcl constituti,>n.
THK WKI.SH IN MINXKSOTA. 95
Oil Friday, Aii,L;-Li>t 2'i, Capt. Dane's i.-.)mpaiiy were (ink-ruil
I'rom Lake Crystal U> .K-cupy W-w rini. wliicli had hcvu deserted
since NLoliday, aii<l presented a very desolate appearanee. The
houses were all hurnt except a lew in the center. The streets were
littered from end i<> end with huuseh.dd ltoihIs (d' everv descrip-
tion, and here and there were tlie Moated carcasses ot horses and
cattle which had been killed in the li-iit, eniittin- a horril.le
stench. Ivittle mounds (d earth were lrei|Uent in the streets,
where the dead had lu en hastily deposited in sliallow -ravi's.
liarric.ides were lelt in several jdaco across the streets.
and tlie lew huildin-s lei t were all loop-lnded lor nui^-ketrv,
and both harric.ides .uid huildini;-s were riildled and splintered
with l.nllets. lOvervwhere were evidences of the desper.ite c,m-
llict of Satnrday and Suiidav. .and it w.is several davs helore the
compaiiN couhl restore the town into .mv app.'arance ni order.
Col. Sildey was now at Kt. Rid-elv with a force .d between
1,5(10 and l,r nen but .ill were raw recruits, who h.id received
no military tr.iinin--, and were armed bir the most part with
rejected muskets, whivh the Government li.id sent north to be
used only in drilliuL;- n.'W reL,Mnienls. There w.is scarcity of
ammunition also, .iiid much they h.id did not lit the i^uns. Then
rations h.id t.>be -athered to leed the .irniy. e'ampiiiL; oullits .md
means of traiisportati. ni had to be procured. To secure all
these necessaries at once b.r the expedition taxed e'ol. Siblev's
ability to the utmost.
Sunday. .Su-iist ,>!. C'ol. Siblev detailed as a burial party,
under Capt. II. I'. Cr.iut, CoiniMiiy A ol the Sixth Ke^dmeiit,
antl two vcdunteers from each ni the other coniji.inies of the
sixth, and sent the Culleii guards, a snnill detachment (d' citizen
cavalry under C.ipt. Joe Anderson, with tliem to act as scouts.
In all there were one hundred and lilty-three men includini,'-
infantry, cax.ilry and te. misters .md ninet\-six horses includuiL;-
twenty teams to carrv lu-y;a,L;e. They were instructe<l to inter
the remains ,d' Capt. Marsh ami his coiiimaml killed ,it the ferrv
and proceed to the .\-eiicv and burx all bodi.-s found there anil
in that vicinity. .M.ijor Joseph R. Krown, the famous Indi.m
trader, went with tliis expedition, peril. qi^ iiomin.iUy .is its com-
mander, tliouuh Cr. Lilt seems to have been ill actual command.
During- the first day they buried .e.er liftv jiersons and
ciimped about five niiks u;> the river oil the Kenville county side.
Early Monday inorninLr. dividiiio- the command, Caid. Andersi>n
and the mounted men were sent across tiie river to exi)lore the
country toward the Yellow .Medicine, while C.ipt. (Irant and the
96
Wia.SIl IN' .-MINXI-.SnTA.
infiitUry cntiiuicil to iiiarcli iqi tlic imrtli side ni the river to
l]e;iver Creek. Mvery little uliile they had to stop to hury
entire faniilies ,,( women and children who ha,l been massa-
cred. In the niorniiiL;- Capt. Crant iMtieed what he supposed
was an Indian hidiip^- in a ■-liiu'jfh near the r.iad. Sum nuidinL;-
the spot they lound a white woman. Thirteen days helore, her
husband and three little ehiUlren were butchered before her
oyes. The Indians then t.dd her to run ami just as she was
startinir they lired on her .and put ninj buckshot into lier back.
T,i.' li 'ii U th ui t > ik .1 k life an 1 ripp--il her clothinir allolT,
and in so dniuL;- cut a deep L;-:ish over her stomach and left her
for .lead. Sh,- revive 1 but the shuck had affected her brain and
siie had wandered o\er the ])rairies in a nude and demented con-
dition sul)sistinL;- on roots and water until then. A blanket was
wrape<l alumt her .m.l ,i bed n( hay nunle b.r her in one .d' the
wairons, while Dr. 1 ).inieb, dressed her w.umds.
ICvery little while two or three w.i-ons wouhl be seen
standing- in the road, and alwavs in and around them would be
horriblv mntil.ited. .\m..nu- others they found the h.alf burnt
remains ,d' Mrs. Ilenders.ii .and her infant. She was sick,
conliiled to her bed. (mi the awful niorniii'.,'- uf the outlireak. Iter
husband and friiMids carried her out on the bed to the wat^ron
and while on the way to the fort, the Indians overtook them
and killed nearly all the p.irtv. Mrs. Hen.lersMn and her babe
were tossed out ..f the wa--. mi on the prairie by the wretches,
the bed thrown over th.-m and a match applied to it and thus
the mother and chil.l Imrriblv jKrislKd. IJuryin- all these
remains the expidition pressed on to Heaver Creek where thirty
more remains were buried. It was nnw too late to return to
the fort that ni.^ht, so they concluded to i;et back as far as
Uirch Cooley, a small stream, which empties into the Minne-
sota, Irom the north twelve miles west of Fort Kid-ely. 'J'he
camp was fixed o!l the bluff overh okiiiLT the Minnesota \'allev
where the co<dey entered it. Capt. Anderson socm joined them
witli the mounted troops. iioth he and Major lirown declared
there were no Indians within twenty live miles. Kive lunulred
hostile sava-'es. on the way to attack- S,.uth Hend and Mankato
had caui,'-ht si-ht .)f the expidition that mornini,-- as it marched
on the side of the bluff and all day their sjdes had watche.l it
and at this very moment their eyes were fixed on the de\dti.d
little b.uid as they pilched their camp in f.incied security. The
wayons were arran.i;-ed in a circle about the tents .md ropes
THE WJCUSII IN MIXXHSOTA. 97
stretclu'd Ironi w.i'^on U> \vai;-(in and tlu- li.irscs tctlicrod U> Ukiii
fonninL;- a circle aixnit the tents. Pickets were pnsteil outside
and the tired coniniaiid turned in tor a uouil niuhfs rest. About
four o'clock in the niornin-one (dthe picl;ets discovered -.(une
object crawling;- toward him in the i^ra^^. Jle cliallenL;-ed it and
then lined. Ininiediatei y an awful veil Iroui live hundred Indian
throats rent the air and in the i^dooni live hundred Indian -uns
lit a circle of .leadly llanie round ah,,ui the cani]>. The i^'uards
rushed in, lirini;- at the enemy as they came. The startled sol-
diers rushed out (d' their tents in a half da:-ed condition and for
took the connnand to "fall down" for ••fall in" and so exposed
themselves for a lew minutes to the deadlv aim u( the foe. whose
bullets whistled thick throu-h the canip from every direcii,m.
The men s.ion -ot in the shelter of the uai,r,,iis and dead horses
and bla/.ed back at the enieniy with all tlieir mi-ht. It was a
fearful stru--le at sliort ran-e, but the whites bm-hl with des-
peration, well kuowiuL;- they loidd hojie b.r no ([Uarter from such
a foe. After an hour.d furious ti-htin- the Indians were b.rced
back to loiii;- raii,-e. The forty rounds <'i ammunition apiece
which the s(ddiers hail bniUL;ht in their cartrid^-e boxes were
now about exhausted. .'.,niio extra rounds had been brou-ht in
the wa^-ons, but, on openin-" the boxes, it was found that throu^-h
some error all the balls were (.:: caliber, while the -ams were
only 5,S caliber. The soldiers were at once set to work whittlin-'
bullets and all ti>ok care to lire only when absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, however, the Indians did not attempt another
chary^o, but contented themselves with lyin- concealed in the
ravines and tall ^Tass arcnuid and tiriiiL;- the instant a soldier
showed himself.
In the lirst encounter nearly one-fourth of the entire com-
mand had been killed or wounded, and all the horses had been
killed save two or three. Another serious trouble now arose,
there was not a drop of water in the cam]> and none could be
had nearer than the b.ittom of the co.dey, but this was full of
Indians. Then the two day's rations, which they had brought,
was all i;-one. The sufferin- .d' the men, especially of the
wounded and dyin-', was terrible as thev lav on that bluff all
day in the hot smi. Dut how lonu'was it to continue? Fortun-
ately the guards at Fort Kidyely lie.ird the lirinL; in the early
mornino-, and Col. Sibley dispatched Col. Mcl'haill with two
hundred and forty men and two cannons to their .aid. .\bout four
o'clocl: in the afternoon, to the L;-reat jov of the belea^-uered
98 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
camp, McPhaill's force was seen approacliinL,'- twu or three miles
east of the cooley and the boom of the cannon heard. The
Indians concentratcil sucli a force in front of McPhaill that
he was scared and instead I if pressing,'- forward and "j^ivin^- hat-
tie to the sava.ires he dispatched a courier hack to Fort Kid-ely
for re-enforcements and entrenched his army on the jirairie to
await their comini,'-. The disappointment of the hesie^'-ed
camp at the sudden ilisappearance of the relief they thou.L;ht
at hand was t^rreat, and they spent a Inwj; niLfiit of intense
sulTeriiif^and anxiety. ]'>y mornini;- the Indians were re-enforced
and heyan to close in on the camp.
A inessa,i,'-e was sent to the few half breeds in the white
force olTerin<,r tliem their lives if tliey would surrender, hut with
heroic courai;-e and lidelitv they answered, that they would
never desert their friends and would die with the whites if
need be. The arms of the dead and wounded were distri-
buted aroun.l so that nearlv all lia.l two or three loaded -un>
by their side and they delieil the Indian^ to come. The sava-e
horde made bold by numbers, was drawinLT nearer, when a biLr
Indian stood i\\> :uid slioutc<l in Sioux from the east side of
the coolev: "there are three miles of soldiers comini,'-." (len.
Sibley with his entire force was at hand and the 1 m of his
cannon and the rattle of his musketry was the sweetest of music
to the distressed command. The Indi.ms soon lieat a hasty re-
treat. A sad spectacle did th;it camp bv Ilirch Cooley present. In
a circle rouml the tents lay the swollen carcasses of ninetv-one
dead horses, behind them lay twelve dead men and birty-tive
wounded. For thirty-six loni;- hours the camp had been without
food, water or sleep in a desperate struy:.!,''le for life. The dead
were buried in one t^rrave. One of the wounded died a dav or
two afterwards at the fort. The poor woman wli<i had been
jiicked up on the [irairie had lain in the wa^-on duriny the entire
time of the battle without biod or drink, and slrani,'-e to say,
thouyh the waj^ons were riddled and sidinteretl with bullets she
escai>ed with only a slii,'-ht wound in her arm.
As Gen. Sibley had n» cavalry to jnirsue the Indians, he re-
turned to the b)rt. Appropriate monuments have lieen erected
recently l)y the state to commemorate tlie battles of IJirch
Cooley and New Ultn.
On the day of the main battle at Hirch Cooley, September
2, a refu<,a'e from Lake Shetek, Thos. Ireland by name, came to
New ITlm to Capt. Danes' company. He had seven lar.<,>-e buck-
shot woiuuls in his body — two of them in his left lunsr. In this
THK WELSH IX MINNESOTA. V'^
condition lie h;id for thirteen d;iys sulTcrcd every hardship in
drag-g-iny himself throuyh the ei^dity miles of Indian invested
country to Now Ulm, and he was indeed a pitiful objeet to be-
hold. He had left, however, the morninL,'- before, two women,
Mrs. Kurd and Mrs. l':asthck. and their four children at
the house of a Mr. lirown, thirty miles west on the P.ij,'- Cot-
tonwood. Capt. Dane called at once for volunteers to rescue
these women and children.
Lieut. Roberts, one of the bravest men in the com]>any at
once olTered to t^o and b.urteen others promptly joined him,
about half of whom were Welsh bo\ s— anioni,'- others besides
Lieut. Koberts, were Lewis 1". J.mes, I)a\i<l Y. Davis .md Wm.
E. Williams. It was a very hazardous journey. The country
was known to be thickly invested liy s.iv.iy-es. It was already
late in the afternoon, so the jouriiev would have to l>e m.ide
mostly in the iiiLrht. 'I'he liovs wiTe only r.iw recruits without
any militar\' practice. Their horses were untrained so that the
report of a <j;uu would render them wholly unmanai^-eable. Their
guns were rejected .\ustrian rilles whose locks were too weak to
fire the caps, and when by ch;ince they did fire, no one couhl tell
where the bidlet would i;o, but the relMuind of the- ij-un was
always sure to lame the shoulder if it ilid not land the -tinner on
his back. About b p. m. the little siuiad started in cliarire n{
Lieut. Koberts, and it was past midiii-ht before they reached
their destination. Mrs. lOastiick, has published in pamphlet
form, a most vivid description of her tri.ils. As her experience
was similar to that of hundreds (d' others we will condense and
quote a few parai^Taphs of her narrative to .i^ive a glimpse of the
horrors of that massacre :
The family comprisfd Mr. and Mrs. Hastlick and five children, the oldest,
eleven years old, named Merton, and the >ouDge,t fifteen months, named Johnny.
Wednesday morning, while the family were at breakfast on their farm at Lake
Shetek, young Hatch, whom we met before at Bnffalo Grove lake with Mr. ICvcr-
ett and Mrs. Meyers, came running, saying. "The Indians are upon lis." Leav-
ing all they fled with the children— Mr. Hastlick carrying his two gnns and am-
munition with the youngest child. Meeting a number of neighbors on the road
they all gathered into the house of a Mr. Wright and prepared to defend them-
selves, A few Indians, well known to the settlers, were at this house preteniling
to be friendly and ready to fight the bad Indians. One of them was called
"Pawn." The hostiles appearing in large numbers in the vicinity, they left ttie
the house on the advice of "Pawn" in a lumber wagon, thirty-four of them in-
cluding men, women and children. Pursued and overtaken on the road by the In-
dians, they fled into a slough near by. Most of them were wounded before they
got into the grass. We will now quote from her narative;
"The balls fell around us like hail. I lay in the grass with my little ones
gathered close .iround me; as it was very hot and sultry, I tried to ni-ive a little
lUO Tine WKI.SH IN MINNl'SOTA.
distance from thcni. but could not get a foot away from thorn, for they would fol-
low me. Poor little dears! they did not know liow much they were destined to
sutler, and they seemed to think if they kept close to mother, thu'y would be safe.
I could now hear groans about me in the gra.ss, in various directions, and Mrs.
Everett told me she was shot in the neck; and in a few minutes more, I was
struck by a ball in the side. I told my husband I was shot. ''Are you much
hurt?" he asked. "Yes, I think I shall die." I answered, '-but do not come here,
for you can do me no good; stay there, for you can do more good with your ritle."
I knew he could not come without being discovered by the Indians. Another ball
soon struck me on the head, lodging between the skull and the scalp, where it
still remains. I could tell if a ball struck any one, by the sound. My husband
then said that he thought he would move a little, as the Indians had discovered
his hiding-place He removed, reloaded his gun, and svas watching for a cliance
to shoot, when I heard a ball strike some one. Fearing that he was the one, 1
called to him, saying, "John, are you hurt'" He did not answer. I called again,
but there was no reply, save that I heard him groan twice, very faintly, then I
knew that he was hurt, and I thought that I must go to him, but Mrs. Cook
begged me not to go. I told her that he was badly hurt, and I must go to him.
"Do not. for God's sake." said Mrs Cook, "stay with your children ; if you stir
from that spot they will all be killed , your husband is dead already, and you can-
not possibly do him any good, mj M.iy with your children, I beg of you." I took
her advice and stayed with them, lor they were all I had left in the world."
After detailing how the women and children were induced by old I'awn to
come out of the slough and surrender themselves to the s.ivriges on promise of
their lives being spared, and how, a luMvy thunder storm h.i\ ing come up, the In-
dians began to hurry them away. She proceeds
"I stop|)ed, however, and looked .iround to see if my children were coming,
and to tell them to follow me. Little Freddy, one of my boys, aged five years,
arose out of the grass, at my call, and started to come. Then, for the lirst time,
I observed a hideous old squaw, who had just joined the Indians; she ran after
him, and felled him to the ground, with a blow upon the head from something
she carried in her hand. Weak, wounded and tightly held by my captor, as I
was, I could only stand and look on at the scene which followed, while such an-
guish racked my soul as, I pray God, that you, ye mothers who read this, may
never feel. The old hag beat him for some minutes upon the back part of the
head, till I thought she had killed him. She stepped back a few paces, when the
little innocent arose, and again started for me; but. oh! what a piteous sight for a
mother to behold! The blood was streaming from his nose, mouth and ears. The
old squaw, not yet satisfied, again knocked him down, and pounded him awhile ;
then took him by the clothes, raised him as high as she could, and with all her
force, dashed him upon the ground. She then took a knife and stabbed him sev-
eral times. I could not stop or return, for my captor was by this time dragging
me away, but my head was turned around, and my eyes riveted upon the cruel
murder of my defenseless little ones. I heard some one call out, "Mother!
mother!!" I looked, and there stood little B'rank, my next oldest child, on his
knees, with hands raised toward heaven, calling "Mother!" while the blood was
streaming from his mouth. O ! who could witness such a sight, and not feel
their hearts melt with pity ! None but the brutal Indians could. He had been
shot in the mouth, knocking out four of his teeth — once through the thigh, and
once through the bowels. But what could I do^ Nothing, but gaze in silent
horror on my children while they were being murderei.1 by savages."
THK WELSH IN MIXXKHOTA. 101
She then t;ives an account of the horriblr outrage and butcliery of her com-
panions. Most of the vminRcr children were left by the fiends wounded on the
prairie to perisli a lingering death from cold and starvation. iVIrs. Eastlicl< was
taken a short distance ulien Pawn shot her in the back and she fell on her lace.
Another Indian came up to her and struck her on the head with all his might a
number of times with his L;ua until her head bounded from the ground with each
blow. She was then left fur dead. Though her skull was broken she did not
loose consciousness, but lay where she was too weak to move for hours. The
crying of a child whom she thought was her Johnny aroused the mother's heart.
■'So I determined to try to go to them, tliinking we could, perhaps, keep warm
better, tor the rain still fell very fast, and the night w.as settling in, cold and
stormy. I rose upon my feet, and found that I could walk, but with great dilli-
culty. I heard Willie Duly, whom I supposed dead long before this, cry out,
''Mother < mother ! !" but a few steps from me. and then he called, "Mrs. Smith !
Mrs. Smith ! '" Having to pass clo.se by him, as I left the slough, I stopped and
thought I would speak to him ; but, on rellcctint; that 1 could not possibly help
the poor boy, I passed him without speaking. He never moved again from the
spot where I last saw him ; for when the soldiers went there to bury the dead,
they found him in the same position, lying on his face, at the edge of the slough
I was guided to the place where my chihlren and neighbors were killed, by the cry
of a child, which I supposed to be Johnny's voice but. on reaching the spot whert;
it lay, it proved to be Mrs. Everett's youngest child. Her eldest, Lily, aged six
years, was leaning over him, to shield him from the cold storm. I called her by
name: she knew my voice instantly, and said, "Mrs. Eastlick, the Indians h.ivent
killed us yet?" "No, Lily," said I, ''not i]uite, but there are very few of us lolt''
"Mrs. Eastlick," said she, "I wish you would take care of Charley'" I told lur
it was impossible, for my Johnny was somewhere on the prairie, and I Irarcd hi'
would die unless I could find him, and keep him warm. She begged me to .yivc
her a drink of water, but it was out of my power to give her even that, or to assist
her in any way, and I told her so. She raised her eyes, and, with a sad, thiiught-
ful, hopeless look, asked the question, "Is there any water in heaven'" "Lily."
1 replied, "when you get to heaven, you will never more suffuT from thirst or
pain." On hearing this, the poor little patient sufferer, only sl.\ years old, laid
herself down again, and seemed reconciled to her fate."
After wandering among the dead and dying and failing to find cither Johnny
or Merton, she thought they might have escaped the savages and
wandered out on the prairie. So she drag-jed herself away some distance
in quest of them, imagining e\ery few minutes she heard them crying here or
there. All night and next day she wandered around in the vicinity, and all this
time she could hear the agonizing cries of the poor little children that had not yet
perished in the slough, .'Xfter three nights and three days of wandering she was
overtaken, only five miles from where she started, by a mail carrier, who helped
her into his sulky, and they proceeded about ten or eleven miles farther to the
house of a German, called Dutch Charley. ' The owners had deserted the place
some days, but to the great surprise of Mrs. Eastlick she found there her old
neighbor, Thomas Ireland, whom she supposed killed as she had last seen him in
the slough in a dying condition, pierced with seven bullets. But he had revived
and managed to crawl thus far, though in a sorry plight. From him she received
the first tidings of her two missing boys. Merton had left the slough the after-
noon of the massacre with his brvby brother on his liack to go to "Dutch Charleys. "
After resting a few minutes the mail carrier. Mrs. Eastlick and Mr. Ireland hurried
l02 THK WKI.Sir IN AtlXNKPOTA.
on as well as thev could. Nrxl day (Siuiday'i a little before noon they overtook
Mrs. Hurd and her two chddren in the road. They. loo. were from Lake Shetek.
but the pitiful story of lier trials is too lon^^ for us. A short distance ahe.id Mrs
Eastlick found her two lost children Merton had little Johnny on his back ?nd
had carried him thus for fifty miles, and they had suffered terribly from want of
food and shelter, so their emaciated faces could hardly be rfcognized. Two
miles further and they came to the deserted home of ]. F. Brown, which stood in
Section 22, of Burnstown. in lirown county, thirty miles west of New Uim. Here
Mr. Ireland and the women ami children were left while the mail carrier went on
to get help from New Dim. lie r.tiirn^d the following \Vednesday with the dis-
heartening news that New lllm h:id ne.irl> all been fnirnt. and when he Rot near
it six Indians rose from the grass and ch.i.sed him, and that the settlers every wliere
had all been killed. He then left them to go to Sioux Falls, Dakota, for lielp.
They waited at llrowns house until the following .Monday, when .Mr. Ireland felt
strong' enough to niake an..tlier .ittempt to reach New I'lm and succeeded in get-
ting there Tuesday .dternonn as we stated before.
Lieut. ]>;(il).rts and his s(|ua(l reaLiioil Mr. Brown's house
about 1 o\li>ck .tt niL;ht. 'I'hc women thoULfht they were In-
dians at first. Imt when Hiey le.irneil the truth tlieir joy knew no
bounds and then- was not a dr\- eye in the nM.m. After restiiio-
until dawn the soldiers put the women and children into a wat^-on,
which they had brouuht and started back. i'"or fear of an am-
bush I.,ieut. Koberts returned by another ro.id. on the oii])osite
side of the Cottoiuvood, from that on which thev lia.l come.
One of the men, J. K. Cillillan by name, tarried behind a few
minutes to yet some corn for his liorse. He was not missed by
his comrades for a time. The men sent back to lookbir him
failed to find him. It seems he took the same road he had come
on, and searchino- jiarties. two or three days afterwards, found
his headless trunk in a held near the roa.i. The Indians after-
wards said that they had seen the soldiers yoiiiy i.iut, but
thought they were scouts and that the main army was coniiny
right after them so they tlid iiol lire on them, but when the main
army did not come they had li.xed a good ambush for the soldiers
when they returned, and it was only the foresiyht of Lieut. Kob-
erts that saved the entire si|uad from sharing- the fate of poor
Gilfillan.
Immediately after tlie occupation of New Ulm by Dane's
comiJan}-, and Ft. Kidgely by fol. Sibley's force the settlers liv-
ing east of these places returned mostly to their homes to care
for their stock and crojis. Tuesday. Sei)teml)er 2, the very day
of the b.-ittle of r.irch Coolcy and the departure of Lieut. Rob-
erts' s(iu;id from New Ulm to rescue Mrs. Eastlick ;ind Mrs.
Hurd, a b.and of eight Imliaiis suddenly ap])eared in the town of
Courtland, then called •'I[ilo,"on the other side of tlie Minne-
The wklsh in Minnesota. 103
sota from Caml)ria, and ailjninin'^- the Welsh settlement <>i
Eureka, in Nicollet euunty. on the west, ami killed two nu-n and
a boy. Crossing- the river thev passed throUL;li the town of
Cambria. In the afternoon. David P. Davis ami his boys were
makini^ hay on their larm, three quarters of a mile west of IIoi\l>
church, llis son, I'^Jien 1*. Davis, had just jnit a span of younLr
horses into the pasture near by and w;is returning- alon^■ a ni.ar-
g-in of t,rrass between the fence and :i field of standing' L;-rain.
Suddenly an Indian jumiied up and made a i^'rab for his shoulder,
but Eben, with a miLjhty jump, eluded his L;-rasp .and lied for the
woods like a deer. The Indian chased him a slu.rt distance,
then tired. The ball passed throu-di ICben's left .arm. between
the elbow ;iud the wrist. The settlers so.m heard <d the sboot-
irii^ and hurrit'd with their families to J.ames .Mori^an's house to
learn the particulars and for nuitual defence. A stampede of
the settlers w.as ]>re\-ented by the arrival, just before sundown
of a comi>any of soldiers—beloULrinur to the Twenty-lifth Wis-
consin — who were on their way to New Tim. Thev helped the
settlers search for the Indians, but no tr.ace of them could be
found nor of the two horses l':ben had put into the jKislure. The
soldiers canqieil by Iloreb church that niy^ht with the Welsh set-
tlers.
The Welsh people of Eureka with the rest of the settlers of
that part of Nieollet county tied to Nicollet villati-e where tluv
fortified themselves. The bodies of the three men murdered in
Courtland were brou-dit there next day and buried.
Next day C(d. Kl.andreau sent C'.ipt. Kouers' company of the
Seventh Minnesota to relieve Ca]it. Dane's company at New rim
and the latter company were brou^-ht down .and stationed in the
midst of the Welsh settlement at the southwest corner of I*'y:in
Davis' present farm in Judson — ^_iust half a mile west id' .Terusa-
lem cemetery. The camji was calleil "Camji Crisp,"" from Mr.
Crisp's house just across the roatl from it. It w.as not the wisest
location as subse(|Uent events pro\ed. for it left hall of the
Welsh settlement to the \vest exposed to the Imlians. A yii,rilant
watch \vas now kept by the sokliers. S(|uads of mounted men
were sent out every day from Camp Crisj) and New Ulm to scour
the country thorou-hly. The Welsh settlers of Iloreb nei-h-
borhood were ^vont to i^'-ather for mutu.al jirotection e\ery nii^'ht
at James Mor!j^an"s house. Tuesday nii,'-ht, September '), just
one ^veek after Eben P. Davis was shot, most of the families
concluded, because the soldiers were search in;.,'- the country evi-ry
day, that the dans^^er was over and so staid at their homes. A
104 THE WI''.I..SII IN MIXXl-SOTA.
few, however, c:une toi^'-otlier ;is usual. These were tlie 1';nnilies
of David r. Davis, .lames IvhvanN. Lev.is D. Lewis and Kieh-
ard M<)ri,'-aii- Iwenly-two jiersuns liclweeii men. wniuen and
chihlren. David I'riee and l.imily had aK,, come with tluir
nei.^-hh.ir. James ICdwards. hut at the invil.itiun of 'IMu.s. Y.
Davis they driive uv,t tn s]icnd Ih.- iii-lit with him. Ilis house.
(the presJnt resi.h'iiee <d Rev. Thcs. V.. Ilu-hesi was onlv .-.l.out
fifty rods away, on thr (,th.-r side ol a little kn,>!l. A nunihrr ,d
the men ij'athered at .lanns Nhiri^'an's hi luse in the e.irh' <.'\enini^-
to he.ar and talk nvrr the news. AmoUL;- ..thers were John S.
Jones (I'rairie., David J. Davis .an,! Ihnry Hu-hes. The latter
spoke of an adventure hr iiad just h.ad in h.okin-- lor his ei.w on
the creek, under his Inmse -a snspieiMUs n.dsc in the hrush,
whieh kept niovin-awav from him. Wm. lalwards was sure
he had seen Indians d,iwu on the .Minnvs,,t.i river ludnw their
house that arirrm.nn. Xnt nineh eredenee was i^iven to stories
ahout seeint;- Indi.ms in tlmsr davs. f.,r cv.-rvthinu: then as-
aLrinalion.
Next niornin--, Se])teml.er in, at hreak cd'day the jieople al
J.ames MnrL;'an"s house weiT ,iv,'ak-ened by the furious h.irkiuL;- id'
the d.>L;-s. Mr. Mor-an opened the front .loor ami saw s.mie j.er-
son in the road in front of the house with a do^- harkiuLT vic-
iously at his hevds. lie was dressed m citizen's cl.dhes and had
a straw hat on, hut as he turned to lool< at the llo!,^ James .Mor-
g-an recoL;-ni/.ed him to l,e an Indian and called the attention of
Ivewis D. Lewis, wh.i h.ad also stepped to the door, to him. .Mr.
Lewis raised his ri-dit h.ind to shield liis eyes as he piered
throuerli the dusk of the morniui^- in the direction pointed hv
Morg-an. Suddenly a hidlet struck his hand, passed throu^di
its entire width, a little above the knuckles and hit his fi.re-
head a sli-ht hh.w, then fell to the II, .or. His han<l had saved
his brain. Another bullet came whizziuLT throu;;h the north
window on the east side of the front door, but thou-di the room
was full of people it ]>assed between them doin^- no harm.
James ICdwards had just jumped from his beii on the lloor to
dow hittini;- him in the neck, severiuL;- the jui^'ular vein. With-
out a word he fell dead across the bed. his blo,,d s]iurtini;- over
the room. The other men had now secured their yuns and
opened a brisk- tire on the enemy and they retreated into Thos.
Y. Davis- corn liehl across the r^ad. David 1'. D.ivis, Jr., thinks
ho hit one Indian as he passed over the fence, hut no
i'iA^iii^^. _ U-
TEK WKI.SII IX MIXXKSOTA. 105
trace of him could lie foinul al'torwards. As soon as the Indians
were driven olT, .l(din 1'. and llenrv V. Davis started for Caniji
Crisp, six miles away, lor lielp. Win. Ivhvards and l»avi<ll>.
Davis, Jr., l(dlo\ved in a sh.irt lime on the same errand. Miss
Mary Mor.i^-'an, taking- .meol her Iimiher's yniini,'- children in her
arms started, also, lur the camp. 'IMie others staid in the house
for a time and kept a watch from the upstair's window. David
P.-Davis had heen stackin-- -rain the day l.efore and h;i<l left
his horses in his ]iasture over iiiLrht. Not lon^- after tiie si t-
in<|- a number ni Indians were oh^erved chasini,'' the horses.
They soon corrahnl them in the corner of the held, where thev
had made a pen with tlie wagons used in stacking;-. The In-
dians then con-re-ated on Daniel 1'. Davis' hill i ,i knoll or
rid',^e on the southwest orner mI the same farm ). There were
twelve to lifteen of them. .\fterashort consultation the four
mounted on David 1". l)a\ is' and Kichard .Mori^'an's horsi-s and
two (m loot started down the hill eastward, the direction of
Mor!,'-an"s house. Three or Unir went south, where thev stcde
Rev. Jenkins' horses, the rest i.ass,,! hryouil the hill to the west.
The peojde in James .M.ir-.in's Ikiusc, seeiuL,' a jxirtion cd'
the Indians comini;- ai^ain towards them, concluded thev were
bent.on another attack, and all lle.l from the house. David P.
Davis, Sr., L^ot into Tlios. Y. Davis' corn lield, Jas. Mori^'-an hid
in the ^rrain stacks ne.ir the houso. The rest ran down a little
g-ully towards t'amhria creek. When .-ihout ei^dity rods west of
the house the two Indians on foot turned to the left into Tlios.
Y. Davis" held; those m. mnted. evidently to avoid passini,'- the
house, turned <m the ri-ht into Henry Iluyhes" tiehl, and p.assed
down a branch of the same LTully just mentioned and barelv
missed the women and children, who liad just reached a clumped"
bushes, when the Indians passed within a few feet of them.
Lewis D. Lewis, beini^- unable to stanch the How of blood from
his hand, had left the house about fifteen minutes before,
to g-o to the camp. When nearinf,"- Dennett's creek he saw the
Indians ccmiiui,'- .after him in the road. He ran and threw him-
self into a small clump, d' bushes by the n.adside. He bmnd
himself lyini^ down within a foot <jr two of a monster prairie
snake. Lewis concluded to trust the snake, however, rather
than the Indians, and so remained where he was until the vSioux
were ^'■one, nor did his snakeship resent his den beiny made a
city of refu^-e.
The two Indians who h.ad turned into Thos. Y. D.avis' Held
went straiijht for his horses, wliich h.id been staked out to "Tass
106 THE WKI.SII IN MINNKSOTA.
near the house. ]Mr. Davis thdus^-ht they were sokliers, and
ran out to st<)]i them ir^nn takini,'- his hi)rses. and when
ch>se to them perceived they were Indians. He ran hack and
then over 1(1 James M<.rii-an's hnuselor hel]). The frontdoor
was h)cked and no mu-, t<i his surprise, answered his rajis. He
ran to the haek door an<l opened it. Nolhini,'- but confusion and
bhjod cverywliere. A glance into that chamber of death was
enou<^li. Mr. Daxis ran down tlie road to tiie liouse of Mr.
Shiehls, whom he found at liome. TakiuLT lunoeli, the youni^est
chihl, on his back Mr. D.ivis r.m into the brush bdhiwed by tile
balance of tlie Shiehls family. l':nieri;-in>;- from the woods where
David K. Dowen's house n<iw stands, they saw not more than ten
rods ahead of them, in the road, the four Indians mounted on D.
P. Davis- horses. The Indians -lanced back over their
shoulders at them, but did not sto]i. Half :i mile further
Wni. P. Jones, Ilu-h K. Williams, Stephen and Davi.l Walters.
and Thos. I). IJoyd were .iiiiiroachiu!;- the Mankato road from
Ivloyd's house with an o\-team .and w.-i-'ou. The Indians turned
from the main road and approached the waL^on on the full scal-
lop, whoopin^i,>- and brandishinu" their weajions. The men scat-
tered into the adjoinini;- corn Held, eNce]>t Stephen Walters, who,
mounted on Huf,'-h Willi. im-." lleet mare tried to outrun the foe,
but ^--avc up too soon, and ran into the corntield, leavin-;- the
mare for the Indians. They pknulered the wai^^ons of a few
articles and exchani;-e<l their jioorest horse for the mare and
then passed down the road.
Leaving- them at jiresent let us return ai^ain to the west end
of the settlement.
David J. Davis' house then stood in Section 17, at the foot
of the steep bluff descending- to the river bottom. A path led up
the bluff, back of the house, to the tableland above, where was a
corn held. At day break this tenth day of September, Mr. Davis'
IS year old son, Thomas, went up this path to see if there were
cattle in the corn. Just at the top he met two Indians and turned
to Hee, but they shot him in the back, throui^h the heart. The
father heard the shot and the piercinj,-- shriek of his son. He
rushed to the do<ir just in time to see his son fall and the two In-
dians standin;^- at the top of the hill. Mr. Davis seized his ax,
while his oldest sou, David, who was an excellent shot, seized his
trusty rille and ^'■atherinj.if the other eig-ht children, most of whom
were quite small, they lied on foot down the valley, while the In-
dians sat on the bluff watchint,'- them, not daring- to pursue, from
respect tt) David's rille. Thus they lied on foot, to Camp Crisp
w
c iiKtUi(
tied leavin- J:
mes
Mur-
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Joiinctt L-
reek an ohl
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iius lia.l
.een enal.K
d tl
reach the
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and
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the road.
That iiioruin
-,'■ K
ehard
John C-
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It C
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noil on the
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Davis an.l .
the
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an hour t
alkin- witl
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t tl
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star
ted on
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dl J. W. Trask
am
John
Sl
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oil horseh;
lek
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M
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thev liad s
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wli
ethe
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TMK WKI.SII IN MINNESOTA. l07
a distance of six miles, warnin-,'- IIui,'-li K. Williams, Wm. P.
Jones, John K. Davis, Wni. R. Lewis, .and all thev met.
John P. Davis, whon
g-an's house, had cani^-ht ■
ing- to Kichard Mor^ran ai
camp ten or fifteen miiiuti
ren, whom he had passed
Wigley, Wm. J. Kol.erts ;
with a threshing ni;uliiiu
Jonas Mohr's farm, in ^
Jones), they met David .1.
with news of the attack.
there on the knoll for ha
they came. Mr. IMohr e.i
After learning the news a
west. In the slough we-
Page were making liay.
coming down the road ful
citizens clothes on the peo
were white fug-itives or finliatis.
One of them turned aside to ])ersue Mr. Trask and thev were
then known to he Indians, Mr. Trask r.m and the Indian lired
after him, hitting him in the wrist. The other Indians made
straight for the machine. Wigley and Kol.erts were unarmed
and ran to hide in some sugar cane near hv. Mohr had a
Sharp's ride, and was a line shot, hut he ran hack and past the
machine without firing, evidently trying to get home to ])rotect
hisfamily. Oneof thelndians followedhim past the macliine ami
Mohr, seeing the Indian was nearly upon him. wheeled around
to fire, l)ut the Indian's gun went off first and the hall penetrated
his forehead. He fell over hackward and soon expired. In the
meantime the other Indians cut the harness off of one of Rob-
erts' hest horses and took it in jdaceof a poor one they had. and,
seeing the soldiers coming up the road at full speed about a
mile away, they fled in hot haste for the woods near bv— four of
them passing down the ravine near Morris Lewis' house, harelv
missing Mr. Lewis and family David A. Davis and family anil
Uavid J. Thomas ;is they were coining with ox teams toward
the road. The other three ]iassed down the ravine by (ieo.
Owens' place, and Owens and his children scarcely had time tt>
get out of their way into the brush and corn i)y the roadside.
Let us again return to the Iloreb neighborhood. ICarlv this
same morning John S. Jones (Prairie), living on the northwest
108 Tine wia.sir in :\iinnkhota.
corner oi' Scftioii ,^2 Md his ilear wiic ;inil six children i^-ooilhyc-
to <,>■() and help K.ihcrt Jniu's i In<li:nia i stack Lrrain. In passing-
ahni;;- t!io westerly loot ,.1 haniel 1'. l>avis' hill, near wlu-re the
road from the s..uth met the mad riuminL;- west I'mm Ilnreb
church, on .lolin Kees" I'arm, he was killed and seali)ed l>y the
sav;i<>-es — jirohablv hv thdsr seen u'dinL; wc-^t from the hill. He
was a l)ru\e and poweriul man .and the i^rass around bore evi-
dence of a desperate stru-'-lc, hispitehfnrk was bent and bloody.
Wlu-ther lie slew or wounded any <>( tlu' foe will never be known.
These Inditms. then p.issiil on to Jones" (Indiana). He was on
the stack and .F<din l!. Shaw on the load pitchinir, when the
Indians rushed upon tlu'm. IJotli men jumped to the i,'-rountl,
and ran for the brush. Shaw escaped and reached the hidin','-
place of the refuL;'ees from .las. Mor;,'';in's liouse, three miles
away, which was in the brush on the south sitle ui Camliria
creek, on the James Morgan farm, in the spot where afterwards
stood the house of K'.v. Crlftith Kobert>.
The last seen of poor Jones ali\e was runnini,'- into the
brush with the Imlians lirini.;- u]ion him. The followiuL,'- sprini;-
vApril (i), when D. 1'. Davis was burnint;- his me.adow three-
fourths of a mile west of Horcb church, he found his bones
in the ed<re of the sl,m-li. He also found his shoe cauyht in
the fence where he had crossed into the meadow. Whether he
was wounded while ruiiniuL;- into the lirush .and then had fled
to this si>ot, a distance ( d' two miles, before he fell exh;iusted,
or whether Ik: met the foe ai;ain near where he crossed the fence
into the meadow, which was within a few rods of where Jones
(Prairie) was killed, will never be known. His son, Evan
Jones, lied to the sloui;hs south of their farm and remained in
hiding; for a week or ten days before beinir discovered by the
soldiers. David Morris, liviui^- three quarters of a mile north-
east of Iloreb church, went down early the same morning- to-
wards David J. r)a\is" house and came across the body of Thos.
J. Davis lyini;- besiile the patli. He hurried back home and with
Mrs. Morris went over to Jas. Mori;an"s house. Findinir it de-
serted and the lloor covered with blood they hastened on to the
house of Kev. Jenk'in Jenkins. I)a\ id Price and family went
home early from Thos. Y. Davis' house and linding- that their
nei<rhbor, Jas. ICdwards and family, di<l not return by ') o'clock
a. m., Mr. Price went up to Mor--an"s hovise to see what was the
matter. There was m> one there. The lloor and betls were
covered with blood. In the conuT a <|uilt seemed to be S]iread
over something;-. He entered and lifted it a little when to his
i<^
School House, District No. ii. Cambria, Minn.
TirR WKI.SII IN MINNICSOTA. 109
horror he iliscoverod tho IxmIv ,.1' his murilcrcd ncii;hl..>r, Kd-
wanls. lie ima,;,'-i,i.'d the loo were hid in tho house and watoh-
in,!,'- him, and expected i-verv munient tn feel tlie stin-- (d their
hullots in his own hody. Ileatiny a hasty retreat he started for
Thos. Y. Davis' house, hut just then saw Kev. Jenkin Jenkins
and wife, David Morris and wile and ( ;eor,i,'-e and Neal r<,rter
coming- down the road on f.iot. iL^ j.)ined them and induced
them to go with liini to -et his family. All llie men had tlieir
g-uns. At Price's house Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. V.vim
J. DaVies and Mrs. Price an<l her children were put into Price's
wag-on which stood ready at the dour and thev started. Tliey
had harely passed .nit (d the Little Prairie up Thos. Lloyd's
hill, when the seven Indians who had shot Mohr and Tr.-isk
came up the Minnesota valley and crossed the road our fu^-itives
had just passed over.
Fifty rods southwest of Tloreh church stood the cabin of
Henry Hug-hes. Mr. llui;li(.'s and his familv v.-ere at home at-
tending- to their usual duties this mornini;- uncmiscious of dan-
gCT. From their hiditiL;- place the fu-itives from Jas. .Mor-an's
house could see the Indians p.-issin-- and repassing- close hv, and
finally Rich. Morg-an ventured (jver to warn them. The old
man was hareheaded, Ijarefooted and without a coat and a club
was his only wea]ion. Soon after the Hughes familv were
g-athcred into the brush, the first detachment of soldiers arrived,
half of them Welsh boys. Across Cambria Creek comin-- down
the road from Pev. Jenkin Jenkins three mounted Indians were
seen. The soldiers fired upon them and chased them into the
woods. Three det.icliiiients of Dane's company were sent on
different road through the settlement ami they drove the liuli-
ans far out into lirown Co. The murdered settlers were gath-
ered and liiiried in Jerusalem cemetery tli.it afteroon. The liv-
ing deserted their homes for many weeks slavin-- in the vicinity
of Camp Crisp and South Hend.
Sept. 2ilth twenty-two Welshmen cd' Cambria (then called
Butternut Valley) enlisted as a militia company b,r thirty <lavs
and huilt a fort two or three rods west of Davhl ]•]. Dowen's
barn (which barn was then in existence an<l known as the "Wli^
Barn") in center of Section 28, of Cambria. The state furnished
the company arms, amunition and rati.ms an<l they rendered ser-
vice in protecting- the Ir.nitier, caring for the sb.ck left at the
des(;rted farms, and cutlinn- hav lor winter.
On Sept. 2,m1 Col. Sibley with l.son nu-n met Little Crow
>vith sot) braves at Wood Lake, three miles east (d' the ford of
110 THK WKI.SII IN MINNESOTA
the Yellow Medicine. The indians lied leaving- 30 of their dead
on the field. The whites lost <mly 4 killed. The battle proved
quite decisive and iiiaile Silde\- a IJriL;-ailier ,L,''eneral.
Soon after this hattle aliout 2,<ion Sioux surrendered — the
rest fled to Dakota and ke]>t U}) a predatory war for three years.
In all, about 1,0U() whites perished in the massacre, and as
many mcjre were wountled. In the fall of 18(i4 the Butternut
Vallo}' settlement was visited by a grasshopper plague, which
destroyed the crojis (d' that section the following- sjtring.
The Indian war and the war of the Kebellion being- over
and the grasshoppers having- departed, the settlements entered
on a period of great material prosperity. Immigration came
pouring- in from the east like a Hood. It was the day of the
"movers." One could not lift up his eyes on any one of the
princiiKil thoroughfares without seeing a string- of from si.\ to a
dozen white toi>petl wagons ("Prairie Sclux^ners" they were
called j winding tlieir way westward, each f..llowed by its ilrove of
cattle. Among others came the Welsh settlers to till the wide
prairies of Judson and IJutternut valley. Kichard TIkjukis from
Pomeroy, ()., and Kev. .loseph Kees from Cattaraugus, N. Y.,
had arrived in ls<.2. In l.S().^ Kcv. Rich. W. Jones, John Mere-
dith and J(din K. Owens came from Oneida county, N. Y.
Hugh K. Hughes, Koberl II. Hughes Kichard Lewis and John
P. Jones came from \\'iscoiisin the same year. These were fol-
lowed in lS(,4bvJohn J. Hu-hes, ( ".ririith ( ;rilhths, JCIlis Owens,
Wm. II. and Wm. K. Hughes; in ISdS by John James, James
T. Davies, Kichard Rowlands. Kvan !•:. Jones, John J. I'.vans,
Robert Jones: and in ISSdby Hum])hrey JC. Jones, Jabez Lloyd,
Rowland Pritchard, and a vast host too numerous to mention.
: At the close of the Indian war in 1S(,5 a verv bitter church war
1 broke out. It started with a little matter of church discipline
i but g-rew until all the settlements were involved. One facti<in
; formed Presl)ylerian churches and for a few years this relig-ious
lig-ht was furious, but it passed and harmon v nuce more prevailed.
1 Then came the grassho]i])e'r war. For three 3-ears, lS75-b
■ and 7, the crops of the entire country weri' completely dcvastcd.
: Every device for their destruction failed. In April, 1S77, a day
: of fasting and praver was proclaimed by the g-overnor, which
1 was g-enerally observed. A few weeks later the plag-ue suddenly
departed ami no one to this day knows whither.
Since then our Welsh settlements have grown antl prospcreil
! until today thev are among the wealthiest ;tnd most beautiful
PI>ots in our great coiiimonwealtli,
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Music Amonj^ the Welsh of Blue Earth County
BY EVAN HUGHES.
The Welsh people ;ire pa--sionate lovers of music and have
been such from time immemorial; and the Welsh of IJhie Earth
county arc as ardent devotees of this divine art as their hrelhern
across the Sea. Their interi'st and pr<dicieney in music lia\-e
been promoted by frecjuent visits from souk- of the noted singers
of the other Welsh settlements m America and fnnn Wales.
Amony the first of these was Mr. lOdward Lewis ol New York.
the com[)iler of the Welsh hymn hook ■•llosaniia." Mr. l^(.\vis
visited the Welsh settlement of IJlue Karth count v in Iso'). His
plan was to visit and stay a short time in each church in the
settlement. The i)eopK> crowded the churches and he tau-ht
them how hymns should l)e suiil;- and ixempli lied his tcichiuL; h\
leading them in sin<rin.ir different hymns. He also -ave a few
lessons in readini,-- music to tlie youm,'- people manv of whom
then had the first start in developinu" their musical talents.
In March. ISTii, .Mr. .lohn ( )w.ns , ( ,'/,nJuuiir///vii ) visited the
settlement. He adopted about the same plan as Mr. Lewis, and
met with t^Tcat success startiti-- manv vouiilt men and women in
music reading- and imbuiuy all with an enthusiasm that has not
died out to this dav.
Mr. L. W. Lewis ( /.A:;'-/./::7;m to-cther with his dau-hcr
ter Nellie and the irreat baritone,' .Mr. Janus Sav.ii,'-e. made a tour
throu^'-h the settlement in 1s71 i^-iviiiL;- their concerts in manv (d
the churches and schoid liouses. These conctrts were very
much enjoved and added not a little to the interest in iiiusit.
The famous musical coini...ser. David .lenkins. .d Wales.
visited the settlement in ISST. He followed about the same
plan as Mr. Lewis and ( ilanmarchl vn.
William ap Madoc adju.licated the sinuiii- in the /iV,-7,v/,/-
fod hcUX in Mankato in IS'U. and after the A'/> A </,//»,/ he made
a trip through tlie settlement .^iviuLr concerts and short talks on
the subject of music.
Amoni,-- the early settlers one of the most earnest and elTi-
ccnt musicians was Ivlward Thomas, Sr. He tau^-'ht schoid at
South IJend, Cambria and other places in the county, and where-
ever he went he alwavs tauL;lit music to his pupils and usuallv
had ni','-ht schools to teach those who eouid not .ittend the day
school. Besides liaviiiLT a i^f-ood \-oiie ,ind considerable kiiowl-
edf,^" of music, he had the talent of im!).irtini.c to his pujMls his
own passionate b)ndness for music. At times .Mr. Thomas
attempted comiiosition, and one of the old i'xlmll contains a
inusical composition of his which he states in "a foot-note was
composed by him while hnikiny- ujion the beauties of 1^1 vn Te^rid
in South Bend, Minn.
Another music lover well worth v of mention in the musical
annals of Blue ICarth countv is Mr. William K. Davis .d" Soiitli
I3end, ]SIr. Davis, like Mr. Ldward Thomas, is a school teacher
112 THK WKLSII IN JllNNi:SOTA. ii
who has tauirlit at Souili IJcnd, Caiuliria, Kusli Lake and otlior :
places in the muntv and he has al\s-a\s taui^-ht nuisie in his \
school and !;-encrallvli;is hail niulit seluHils t(i teach the rudi- ,1
merits of music tn all who desired In learn. -I
When Kev. John C. Jones first came to Blue Karth county, ':\
he formed and taui,''ht a number of sini^ini,'- schools at ililferent j
places between and includini^ Mankato and Cambria and all M
with markeil success. But his i;-reat ability and success as a ij
preacher obliged him to 'j;ivc uj) music teacliinL,'-. ;j
Choirs almost without number have been trained here bv j
different leaders for various occasions. We would be 'j:\a^\ U \
space allowed to i^ive a list of these different leaders for they .1
are worthy of all honor, but we are sure they will i^ladh' ]i,iribin i
us for mentioning- Mr. llumi.lirev II. Jones of Judson and Mr. :i
Uu'^h I). Ilu-hes, (dMankab., wh<. b.r any .and all occasions :|
whenever called ujion have freely and cheerfully tendered their ■ i
services to train and conduct choirs and always with marked ,{
ability and success. And we are i^lad to be .ilije to state that \
their "musical /eal has not abated with years. Jidin K. Jones. ;
William Shields and John J. Shields must als.i be nientioue.l \
because of their loni,'- and able service as conductors of choirs. I
The Welsh of lilue iCarlh eounty t.ike -real pride in bavin;;- j
two brass bands, of exceptional merit, named respeeti\eh-, the i
Cambria Philharmonic Band and the Salmi Cornet Band. " ' j
The Cambria IMiilhariiioiiic Band received their instruments j
on April l')th, IS'IO ami at once be-aii to lake lessons from Mr. }
Thomas C. Jones then of St. I'eter. Minn. When lirst or^an- !
izcd the ban.l were 1). C. Davis, leader; D. 10. Boweii. f'.van -I
Price, Klmer Davis, David Rol,erts, Alvin Davis. D. C. Price. J. 1
J. Shields, Peter Davis an.l William I'u-h. They playe<l in j
public b>r the lirst time at the fourth of J iil v ceieliratioii at 1
Cambria in IS'Hl. They als,. played the s.iiiie year with other i
bands at the dedication of the iiionuinent erected bv the state at , j
New Ulm in commemoration of the iiKlian attack- ii]ion that city. I
Since then this band has jdayed many times at T^ake ta'ystal, j
Courtland and Cambria. The band is now composed of : ' i
Evan Prici', Li%i. I.I. I'rl.rU.ui^ 1 1. ( '. 1 lavi-. Ilii-l, K.,l"ris
Alviii I), HI,. II, p;. n..«.ii. Liitiiii Hii^-in>. !
DavulKohi-its. Urnianiiu i:x,ii',.."^' ■""o-liuin,- DiiM,. KlnK-iDavi-.
J). C. I'lKT. .1. K. I'ii,-r. L.-.I. 1 Uavi...,
Ins])ired by the fame and renown of tlu' t'ambria Philhar-
monic Band the youiii;- men on the line between the towns of
Judson and Butternut \'alley bought instruments and in Decem-
ber 18'»3or>'-anix,ed the Salem" Cornet Band. The band consists of:
Their hrst jiublic plavint,-- was ,-it the < )lil Settlers' rc-uni
held at Ivake Crystal. June l.UIi. 1S')4. Since then they ha
p-RirsjjT-
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THE WELSH OF BLUE EARTH AND LE
SUEUR COUNTIES, MINN.
Their Interest in F^olitics.
BY J. T. WILLIAMS. ESO.
The Welsh have always taken an active interest in matters
of state. N.) jieople were ever more devnted to the .^-reat
princijiles of our g-overnmeiit than the Welsh ]>ioneers of this
settlement; none toi.ik greater interest in the great jiolitieal
questions of the day than they.
With hardly an exception they were strongly anti-slavery,
and it was devotion tt> this great ]irineiple which drove them so
unanimously into the republican party.
Without exception, also, they were loyally devoted to the
Union, and many a AVelsh pioneer enlisted in his country's ser-
vice during the dark davs of the ci\il war with no other incen-
tive than zeal for this principle; and the honorable p(>sition the
Welsh towns to(d< and maintained of being- the banner towns of
the county in the (piotas of men furnished for their country's
service in those days is evidence of the fact.
Among- the other ])rinci])al planks of our Welsh pioneers
political platform have always been: Protection of home indus-
tries nnd labor, honest money, public ^chooK, tem]ierance and a
sound moral and religious tone to every dejiartment of state.
Our pioneer's love of country is further shown liy the early
interest they took in celebrating the n:itional holidays.
The first Fourth oi July celebration occurred immediately
on the arriv.il <d the first settlers as early as IS.^.^. It was hel.l
on the cl.ii.n of David J. Williams Uradfordi, in Nicollet
114 THE WKLSH IN MINXKSOTA.
count_v, on the opposite side of the Minnesota river from Jud-
son. The young- men cut the tallest tree they coukl lind for a
Liberty pole and the v<iun,«4- ladies prepared a flay ft>r it by paint-
ing- a strip of white calieo with red and blue paint. .Vdilresses
were made by Wm. E. Davis and others. In 1S56 the Fourth was
celebrated in a g-rove near John E. Davis" house in the jiresent
town of Camliria, when addresses were made by Dr. David Davis,
Rev. W. Williams. David P. Davis. Henry IIu;^-hes. David J. Davis
and others. The voung- pcojde also rendered a number of snngs.
In 1S5S, 1850 and 18()() successive celebrations of Independence
day were held at the same place. In 1858 another Fourth of
July celebration was held at South Dend, near the new hotel.
Squire Bangs delivered the address. In isi.l a Fourth of Julv
celebration occurred at the villagfe of Judson. when a dinner was
served, the children of Sunday Schools and the Band of Hope
marched, and an appropriate address was given by Rev. Jenkin
Jenkins.
With a few years interruption after the Indian massacre
these Fourth of July celebrations have l.>een regularly held in
the town of Cambria e\-ery vear to the present time.
Thougfh the Welsh settlers took g-reat interest in matters of
state and had such strong political convictions, yet they seem
to have been slow and reluctant to assume the lead or to assert
their right to their proper share of political i>rcferment. This
was due to want of self confidence liecause of lack of training-
and lack of acquaintance with the English languag-e. Some
chance American usually had the most to say about their local
politics and held most of the offices.
In the fall of 1855, D. C. Evans was elected one of the three
commissioners for Blue Earth county, and served during the
3'ear 1856, being the first Welshman in the settlement elected to
a county office. In the fall of 1857, J. T. Williams was elected
clerk of the district court of Blue Earth county, being the only
republican elected that year in the county.
Mr. Williams held this office from the date of Minnesota's
admission as a state on May 1st, 1858, until January 1st, 18h2.
In the fall of 18(,1 Mr. Williams was elected county treas-
urer of Blue Earth county and held the office from March 4th,
1S62, to December, 1S(,,^, when he resigned to accept the imsition
of clerk of the committee on Indian AlTairs in the United States
House of Representatives, of which committee Hon. William
Windom was chairman.
Hon. D. C. Evans.
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Hon. R. H. Hughes
Hon. T. n. Push.
DILITII, MINN.
A FEW WELSH MEMBERS Or THE LKGISI.ATUHE.
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Hon. Richard VVisrley
Hon. Richard Lewis
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Hon. Wm. R. Jones
JCDSON, MINN.
Hon. Wm. P. .lones.
LAKE CRVHT.VI,, MINN.
A FEW WELSH MEMBEKS OF THE LEGISLATURE
TIIK WELSH IN' MINNESOTA. lis
The first Welshman to win leiri-^lative honors was our old
friend D. C. Kvans who wa^ elected state senator in the fall of
185'.). No Welshman was elected to the le.^islature after Mr.
Evans until the f.all of 1S72 when Thomas C. Charier was cliosen
representative. In the fall of 1S73 Robert H. Hug-hes was
elected representative on the alliance and democratic tickets and
re-elected in the fall of 1S74. and James II. James was alM)
elected representative with him in the fall of 1.S74. ]\Ir.
Jamcswas re-elected in th.e fall of 1S7S and aijfain in 1S7(>.
At this last election of lS7ii ^Vm. P. I'tmes was chosen rep-
resentative. Kichard Lewis liecame representative hy the
election of isso, Owen Morris in 1SS2, Richard ^Vii^ley in
1SS4, and Wm. K. Jones in ISSo. In this 1SS(, election
Thos. IC. IJowen was chosen state senator from Brown
county, and J. X. Jones was chosen representative from Red
Wood county. In ISSS J. PI. Phil!ii)s was elected represen-
tative from Fillmore county, and in is'Mi Job W. Lloyd was
elected to the same jiosition from Le Sueur county.
In ]S(,S and 1S(,') F,vau Bowen was the sheriff of the county
of Blue Karth, and for four years beyinnini,'- January 1st, 1S72,
Hug-h G. Owens was the reg-ister of deeds of this county. In
ISSS Richard Bumford was elected rcu'ister of deeds of Lyon
countv, to which olHee he was re-elected.
In the fall of ]S7;. 1). C. Kvans was elected treasurer of Blue
Earth countv and held the office for eiirht vears. He was suc-
ceeded in 1SS2 by Wm. Jones, who retained the oflice for six
years. ]Mr. Jones, in ISSS. was succeeded in the treasuryship
sent incumbent. So that this important
Welslimen for over twenty consecutive
lid IS" 12 the countv attorneyship of Blue
bv Bvron Iluyhes.
ler of Welshmen have also been count}- com-
missioners of this county fif Blue Earth. Besides the terms held
by D. C. Evans already mentioned Re\'. David Davis was oti the
board from Seiitember 14th, 1S5S, to March 25th, 1S5'), when he
was succeeded ]>\ (leo. Owens who held the office until ISCO.
In those (lavs the countv board consisted of the chairmen
of the various town supervisors. Since the change in ISdO the
following Welshmen have been elected commissioners of this
c<mnty. David J. Davis for the years lS(>2-3, John I. Jones bir
lHi.4-.s-(,, David I). Kvans b)r lSr,7-S-n. Richard Wigley for 1S7(,-
7-S, Wm. S. Hughes for 1S7'), lSSO-1, Timothy Rees for 18S2-3-4,
bv Pete
rLl.
yd the pr
offlce h;
IS be
en held 1
years.
During IS'il
Earth c
iunt_
• was hel
Al
arg-e
numiier >
116 THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA.
John S. J(^nes U>r 1SS7-S, Iluirh H. Edwards fi.r ISS'i, l!^'»o-l-2,
and Robert S. Ilugiies since January 1st. Ism;,.
In addition to those before mentioned the fnllowing- Welsli-
men have been appointeil to nffices by the state and United
States authorities:
In July, 1S7.^, IIuL,''h II. Ivhvards was appointed mail ai,'-ent
and held the position until Aui;"ust. issi,. In Auy-ust, 1S74,
Thomas M. Pug-h was api'ointed receiver of the United States
Land Office at Fargo, Dakota, which office he held for nine
years.
From July, ISS.t, to December. 1SS«>, J. A. James was chief
deputy g-rain inspector, and from December, issi,, to Aug'ust 1st,
1889, he was chief grain inspector. In July. ISST. Joshua Wig-
ley and Artliur X. James were appointed to the state weighing
department, and in September, lss7, I",d. II. Pug-h was ap-
pointed to the same office and \Vm. K. Williams in November,
18')1. In iSS.s John F. Dackins was appointed mail clerk, and
in 1SS.^> Owen Pritcliard was appointed postmaster at Lake
Crystal. J(din Dowen. at Cmirtland. and David Y. Davis and
Evan Lhiyd, at Ottawa, have held the same office.
At the election of 1S')4. Job Lloyd was chosen state senator
of Le Sueur countv, and J. X. Jones, representative from Ked-
wood county. In Dhie Earth .:ounty. Peter Lloyd was re-elected
treasurer, Daniel llowen was chosen sherilT. and Robert Roberts
commissioner from the citv (jf ]Mankato.
Their Record in the War of the Rebellion.
BY WILLIAM L. WILLIAMS.
Our Welsh pioneers were I'atriots in the best sense of the
word. They loved their country dearly, not for personal gain
or gflory, but for the g-r.and principles of justice, liberty and
equality on which it was founded, and when slaverx' and dis-
union were threatening the very life of our Reiniblic in the <i, irk
da3-s of the Rebellion the C\)ini were among its first ami most
faithful defenders. In the ([uotas id' men furnished the Welsh
towns were the banner towns of Line I'larth county. South
Bend took the lead during- the lirst years of the war, furnishing-
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David Y. Davis.
Lewis P. Jones.
LATE (IF CAMUKIA, MIN
David Djckins.
MANKATU, MINN.
GROUP OK WELSH SOLDIERS.
Lieut. John Roberts.
LATE UK LE SI ElE. MINN.
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John J. Lloyd.
Edward S. Evans.
LE SCELR, MINN.
GROUP OF WELSH SOLDIERS.
TflE WKI.SII IN MINNESOTA. 117
ticjirly twice as mriny as their propdrtion reepiired. DuriiiL;- the
last two years IJutternut Valley, which had l>eeii secmul, be-
came the haniier town of the county, wliich position it liehl to
the close of the Rebellion.
The first Welsh volunteer from the Welsh settlements was
Wm. D. Huwells. of Judson, who enlisted May 24th, 1S(.1, in
Company I, First Minnesota Re<,'-iment. The second volunteer
was Isaac Mor,u-an. son of the late Kichard Mory^an. of Camliria,
who enlisted July 3th, isiil, in L'ompany E, Second Minnesota
Volunteers. He rendered sjilendid service on southern battle-
fields for four and one-half years and now lives in St. Louis,
Missouri.
The next to enlist were: Criftith J. Lewis, now of Man-
kato; James Ivlwards, late of Cambria, Minn., and James P.
Thomas, of Mankato. They served in Company L, Lrackett's
Battalion, and were a part of the Fifth KeLriment. Iowa Cav-
alry. Thev were nearh' six vears in active sirvice.
' Six Wjlsh boys i.,ined the Fourth .Minnes,,ta. namely: Ser-
geants Thomas Fees, eldest son to the oM pioneer. John Fees,
Lake Crystal, and W. F. Jones, now .)f St. Peter, Minn. Pri-
vates John F. Jones. Owen Uavies, W. L. Jones and John
Thomas. Sers^^eant Thomas Fees was the first man from this
section to fall in battle in defense of the old IhiL,'-. He was mor-
tally wounded at the sie^^e of Vicksburi^', Miss., and died June
20, 1863, at Memphis, Tenu. John E. J.>nes and Owen Davies
died in 1S')3. W. L. Jones lost an arm in the service. Ilis pres-
ent address is unknown. Two enlisted ami serveil in the Sixth
Minnesota, John and (irillith Williams, brothers ni T. I). Wil-
liams, Lake Crystal, Minn. John died in Helena, Arkansas,
September 2nd. lSi,4; (iriflith is a resident of western Minnesota.
Aug-ust ISth. lSi,2. twentv-one enlisted and served in Ci>m-
pan}- E, Ninth Minnesota \'olunteers. Their names and record
are as follows:
Lieutenant John F. Foberts, mortally wounded in the as-
sault (m the Febel fortification at Nashville, Tenn. December
IC, 1S(.4. Died of wounds January 4, 1S(,5.
David Freese, captured at battle of (luntown, Miss., June
10, 1S(.4. Died in Andersonville prison, Georgia, September 4,
1864.
D. Y. Davies, survivor, present address Mankato, Minn.
Evan J. Davies ( lirother of D. Y. i taken prisoner at battle
of Ciuntown, Mississijipi. June lo, ]S(.4. Died in Andersonville
October 15, 1S<,4.
118 THK WICI.SH IN MINXICSOTA.
David DacK'itis, surviN-or, taken prismier JutU' 11, 1S(>4. I'',s-
caped. His address is Maiikato, ^linn.
John Edwards, survivor. F^akc Crystal, Minn.
John W. Jenkins, sur\-i\iir, son ol' \V. Ji,'nk-iiis, Lake <.'r\s-
tal, was a prisoner of war twelve months. His adtlress is De-
fiance, Mo.
Edwards Evans, survivor, Lc Sueur, Minn., was t;iken i)ris-
oncr at Battle of (luntown. Escaped from ]>rison Januar\-, 1S(,.^.
Wm. Griffith, died at Jefferson Citv. -Mo.. October .M. 1S(,;..
John J. Jones, died at South Bend, r\Linn., Se])teml]er in,
isr.o.
Daniel Jones, died at Camliria, ]Minn., in 1^'75.
Sero^cant Lewis P. Jones, survivor, Bluftoji. Minn.
Lewis I.,ewis, taken prisontT June lo, lS(i4. Died at Aii-
dersonville prison March 2u, ]si,5<.
John Llo_yd, survivor, Tracy, ]\Iinn.
John Reese, survivor, Courtland, Minn.
Wni. Rces, brother of Thos. Kees, Fourth Minnesota. w;is
taken ]>risoner at Guntown and died in jiriscm ()ctol>er 11, 1S(>4.
Corporal Kohert Koherts, survivor, Mank:Uo. Minn.
H. J. Koherts, wouniled severely in hatlle. cajitured and died
in prison. The date of his death is unknown, hut it was during-
the summer of lS(i4.
John G. r^oherts, wounded in l)attle. captured and died in
Andersonville prison July 2S, lS(i4.
Thos. B. Williams. survi\-or, present address unknown.
Corporal ^\'. K. Williams, survivor, Minneap(dis, Minn.
Two enlisted in the lOleventh Minnesota: "Watkin Jones,
survivor, Heron Lake, Minn., and D. W. Jones, address un-
known.
Five enlisted in the First Minnesota !v[ounted Rany:ers:
W. E. Davies, survivor, .Minnehaha, Minn.
Thos. D. Lloyd, died in ISTl at Cambria, :vlinn.
E. P. Davies, survivor, Cambria, ^linn.
Stephen Walters, survivor, Courtl.-ind. Minn.
The two latter also served in the Second Minnesota Cavalry.
Twenty-three enlisted and served in the Second Regiment,
Minnesota Cavalry, namely:
D. J. Davies, Jr., survivor, Seattle, AVashin<jton.
-E. P. Davies, hereinbefore menticuied.
■John 1'. Davies, survivor, ILiinline, Minn.
H. H. ]C<1 wards, survivor. Lake Crystal, Minn.
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JAMEa KDWAKIIS
DAVID H ALTKES
Group of Welsh Soldiers, Blue EartluCounty, Hinn.
THK WELSH IN MINNESOTA. IV)
Wrti. I'ji-hvanls. survivor, Courthiiul, Mitni.
W. 11. Evans, survivor, r>ath, S..ut!i Dakota.
Richard 11. Ilut^-hcs, survivor, Tracy, Minn.
Wm. K. Hu-hcs, survivor, Milwaukee. Wis.
Wm. II. Huifhes, survivor, Tracy, Minn.
Serg-eant Win. Jones, survivor, Mankato, Minn.
Robert E. Jones, survivor, present address unknown.
J. C. Jones, survivor. Lake Crystal, Minn.
Rowland Eewis, survi\()r. Fort Worth, Texas.
Wm. R. Lewis, survivor, Lake Crystal, Minn.
James Morg-an, survivor, Tracy. Minn.
Edward I'rice, survivor, Winona, }.Iinn.
Robert S. Pritcliard, survivor. South liend, Minn.
Wm. Shields died in issr, at Ipswich, S. 1).
Rice Thomas, sur\ ivor, Courtland. Minn.
Edward Thomas, survivor, now the Kev. Ivlward Thomas,
Tracy, Minn.
Stephen Walters, mentiimed before.
David Walters, survivor, Courtland, Minn.
Joshua Wiy-ley, survivor. Lake Crystal, Minn.
Three enlisted in the First ^Minnesota Heavy Artillery:
The late Capt. H. J. Owens died in March, ls'»4, John J. Lloyd,
survivor. Lake Crvstal, ]Minn., and Wm. Moryan, atldress un-
known.
The total number of our nationality enlisted for the war
from Blue Earth and Le Sueur counties were sixty-six, an almost
incredible number, when we take into consideration that the
country was new and sparsely settled at that time. After the
war several other old soldiers came into our midst, and are w,ir-
thy citizens of our community. .VmoUij; the number are E. R.
Jones, Third Wisconsin Cavalry. John Lewis, Fmirth New
York Heavy Artillery, Wm. Davies. United States Kavy; John J.
James, 14()th New York Infantry; E. T. Evans, Forty-Ninth
Wisconsin Infantry; J. J. Edwards, Thirty-Second W^isconsin ;
Tim Reese, Twelfth Wisconsin; Rev. T. E. Huirhes, Twenty-
Third Wisconsin.
All of these survivors are now on the decline of life, and
soon, very soon, the sun of their da}- will sink forever. They,
as well as those that lived in that dark and momentous jieriod,
are entitled to LjTeat credit, not only for saving- the nation but,
also, for inspiring: a g-enius and ener<jy that has made this, our
country, the g-reatest government (m earth. They are entitled
to credit because they swore in the lig'ht of hig-h IIea\en that
120 THE WELSH ITv" MINNESOTA.
not one inch of the three million square miles that is beneath
our starry banner should be governed under any other.
Their reward are the welcoming- plaudits <if a i,Tateful and
united nation. They won for our country renewed resjiect at
home and abroad and an uneijualed era of g-rowth and prosper-
ity dawned with peace.
In relinquishing the implements of war for those of peace,
the glory thc}' won as soldiers has been rarely dimmed by any
improper conduct as citizens.
The preservation of our flag- and the free institutions of our
country- was also the preservation of the Christian relig-i(,)n in
it, as much as it was of the liberties of the pet>ple. Soon, very
soon, nothing but the names of the heroes of that period will
remain. But their deeds will be honored as long as the stars
and stripes wave over their graves.
THE WELSH OF MINNEAPOLIS.
BY REV. JOSHUA T. EVANS.
When considorin;:: tliat k-ss than tifty years ag-o the present
site of Minneapolis diil not liave a <l\vellinii- erected nor a sinu'le
civilized inhabitant, now has a popuhition of more than
200,000, with 40,01)1) homes, and is one of the cleanest, most en-
terprising- and prosperous cities in the world, it would be inter-
esting- to know from whence came these ]>eople, who ha\e built
a city, which has. with a cainicity of .So.ooo barrels per day,
taken the lead of the world in the production of flour, and is
second to none in its lumber ])roduction. Only a small percent-
ag-e of the pt>pulation can claim the citv as the place oi their
nativity, the great majority having- been attracted here on ac-
count of business advantag-es, educational facilities and beauty
of the location. Restricted by a limited knowledg-e, and absence
of time to gather material, our inquiry at present shall be rela-
tive to the Welsh and "Welsh Americans of the citv, who accortl-
ing- to their number, are second to no other nationality in mo-
ralit}-, industry and enterprise, and in the aid they gfive towards
building up and making- the city clean and prcjsperous. xVs to
their numerical strength our estimate would be from l.ooi) to
1,500, the g-reat majority being- Welsh Americans. They have
come from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and
other states, the greatest number coming from Wisconsin, and
a small percentage direct from Wales.
LIME SPKINGS, IOWA.
So far as the Welsh population is contributing- to the pros-
perit}- of the city, Minneapolis is indebted to a great extent to
Lime Springs, Iowa, and vicinity. Prob;iblv David Williams,
the miller, was the lirst to come from there early in the 7o"s,
followed l)v G. K. Jones and II. 11. Jones, and in IS?') 11. O.
122 THE WELSH IX MINNESOTA.
Roberts and family, consisting- of Mrs. Roberts, O. H. Roberts,
of St. Paul, Mrs." Jennie A. '"iniralls, Mrs. David Roberts, of
Mankato, and Humphrey and Sarah. J. D. Evans, the com-
mission merchant; R. R. Davies and famil}', W. G. Thomas,
who was for 3-ears in charf,'-e of elevator B of the C, M. .S: St. I».
R. R., and his brother, J. S. Thomas; Thomas P. Jones and
daughters, Mrs. J. D. Evans, Mrs. J. W. Hug-hes and :\Irs. R.
Pritchard. G. (i. Roberts came in 1SS3, and sons, John G. Rob-
erts, now fif Lime Springs, la., and David E. Roberts, now of
Sioux Falls, S. D., both traveling salesmen for the J. I. Case
Co.; and Mrs. Thomas John, of Columbus City, la. Some years
later their son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Airs. J. O. Jones,
came to the city. Prof. John Morris came in 18S1, g-raduated
at the State University, and was sujjerintendeut of manual
training- in the city public schoids for several years. D. T.
Davies, who is at the head of the Davies Packin<r Co., came
earl}- in the SO"s, and h:rs been city meat inspector; Mr. and
Mrs. D. T. Harris, Robert and Abram Wood, commission mer-
chants; Mrs. W. E. James, W. J. Jones, who keeps a wall paper
store on Franklin Avenue: (Tiftith "Williams, the architect, and
brothers, David, Hugh and John; Howell Howells and family,
R. E. Roberts, ^^Tciiory dd Marhiim, now of Chicago, and his
sister, Mrs. Isaac, and her daug-hter, Mrs. Kennedy, came early
in the SO's, and Mrs. Kennedy still lives here. Rev. T. H.
Lewis, of Dawson, Minn., sj^ent several years as a stenographer
in the city, and was active in church work. 2^Irs. O. D. Owens
and family, Evan ^Morgan and sisters, Mrs. W. J. Jones and
Mrs. J. M. Davies, are from Lime Springs, la. C. J. Blythin
came from Williamsburg, la., in 1SS4, and is a native of Wales.
He is the assistant manager for D. R. Barber & S(jn, with tlieir
office in the Flour Exchange. Mrs. H. R. Williams is from
Iowa, and Mr. Williams is the assistant general superintendent
of the Chicago, Milwaukee A: St. Paul Railway. H. J. Williams,
assistant claim agent of the Soo Railway, came here from San
Francisco, Cal., but has lived in Clay county, Iowa, and Mrs.
Williams was raised there, being- the daughter of Evan Jones,
now of Lime Springs, Iowa.
MI
XNESOTA.
h
IS charge
.f a \
ra
ich
"1
anv, came
from
K
ms
Griffith Samuel, wh(
Milwaukee Harvester Comi>any, came from Kansas, and 1). E.
Davies came from Denver, (."id., in ISSS.
From Tracy, Minnesota, Dr. S. S. Jones came to this city in
THE -n-ELSH IX rillXNESOTA. 123
188S, and is a native of Wiscf)nsin. Mr. and Mrs. J. W.
Thomas, Scvontcentli ^Vvcnuo, and Mrs. Perci^Tine anil her son,
Philip Pcrci^Tine, arc from Tracv Mr. Thomas has been sec-
retary of the 1 1 'wWf'r/f? several time^. The city is indel)ted to
Butternut A^illey for W. K. Williams ^ (^zji/yiii), the depiUy
state gfrain weig-hmaster, and (>. K. Roberts, of Lake Crystal,
was with us a tew years, and Mank.itn lent us Kev. J. C. Jones
for a year. D. 11. Evans, the real estate dealer, is a native of
Blue Earth county, but came here fr<.m West Superior, Wis.
Ale.xander Huyhes and brother, James and families and sister,
Mrs. K. R. Davies, are from Mankato. Robl)ie Hug-hes, son of
the former, captured one of the pri:':es for sing-ing- at the last
Eislcddfod. Anna (iriftitlis, now Mrs. O. II.' Roberts, of St.
Paul, and her mother; L). II. William-, who holds a position of
trust with J. W. Thomas iV Co., and Ci. ( ). Williams and families
are from Mankato; also Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Hughes and
children, Willie, Katie, Maggie ami Mabel, the latter a sweet
sing-er. . W. T. Jones lived at Mankato a short time before
coming here.
Mrs. Elizabeth Morton came from Lake Crystal in 1S7S, ami
her daughters, Mrs. Major Pierce and Mrs. Feeley, and S(m.
C. E. Davis, are still here. ^Irs. Feeley keeps hair-dressing-
parlors on Nicollet Avenue, and Mr. Davis is dealing- in grain.
Evan Griffiths, with the Northern Pacific Express Companv,
is from Le Sueur.
J. W. Thomas, the popular dry goods merchant on Nicollet
Avenue, came in 1SS5 from Winona, at which place he was
eng-aged in the same business.
Thomas E. Williams came to the citv from Dawn, Mo.,
and Mr. and ^Slrs. G. D. Chvens were from the same place, and
have returned there.
ST.VTE OF Xi:\V YOKK.
The State of New York has n-.t given many of its Welsh
people to Minneajiolis, but deserves a di-tinction because, so far
as -we are able to find, the first AVelsh came from there. Dr.
O. J. Evans, a native of Remsen, takes the lead, coming- at the
close of the "war, in 1S()5. He has taken a prominent part in
huildinj:;^ up the city, lia\ing- served in the city council, state
lcg^5.1aluTe, board of educ;ition. bi.ard of health, etc., in addi-
ti<in to his ]irofessii inal vnrk. Mis- I'rances Jones cime from
Lewis countv, N. Y., in 1S(,7. and now has charire of the
124 THE WELSH IN MIXNKSOTA.
mailing- department in the dry <foods store of J. W. Thomas I'v
Co. Lewis Edwards, the real estate dealer, is from Rome.
E. R. Jones came from Utica in '87 or '88, and was engaged in
the mantel business. "VV. O. Jones came from the same place
about the same time, and has been with J. W. Thomas t\; Co.
several years. R. U. Jones, credit man in the same store, and
brother of Mrs. J. W. Thomas, is from Utica. D. W. Davies
came from New York City in 1884. D. C. Jones, assistant gen-
eral freig-ht ag-ent of the C, AI. & St. P. Ry.. is a son of E. D.
Jones, Esq., of Detroit, Alich., and came hero from Milwaukee,
Wis., in 1890, and Mrs. Jones is a daughter of Hon. Thomas D.
Roberts, of Floyd, N. Y. C. W. Davies. engraver and printer,
who has an attractive store at (>10 Nicollet Avenue, came from
Whitesboro, N. Y., in issl, and takes the lead in his line of
business; and W. L. Griffith and family came from Utica
in m)2.
STATE OF OHIO.
W. G. James (Gzfilvni Ddn o Went), came from Des
Moines, Iowa, in 1883, and has been active with the Eislcddfo-
daii, and his son, W. E. James, is one of our reliable 3'oung
men in the employment of the Chicagn. Milwaukee it St. Paul
Railway. The other children, (iomer, Robert, Rachel, Lizzie,
Edith and Fanny, are at home with their parents. Mr. James
lived several years at Cincinnati, Ohio. D. E. Jones came to
the city from Columbus, Ohio, in 1883. and is n(jw employed by
one of the insurance companies. He was the leader of the
Minneapolis choir of sixty v(iices, competing in the Chicago
Eisteddfod of 18"h:). Dr. David Owen Thomas came here from
Indianapolis, Ind., but was formerly from Ohio, and he takes
interest in the Eiitcddfodaii, has written several articles on
"Welsh Philology, and possesses a collection of rare Welsh
books. E. D. J. Evans came from Van Wert, Ohio; also Mr.
and Mrs. John Williams and Mrs. Coe. 11. P. Roberts, the
attorney, related to the Roberts of Llaiilirviiiiuiir, was born in
Ashtabula count}-, Ohio, but came here in 1884 from Colorado.
ST.\TE OF SOUTH DAKOTA.
Among those coming from South Dalcota, we can mention
Colonel D. M. Evans, the late President of Redfield Ci.llege,
who was also at one time the editor of the Aberdeen Ddilx
Xc-MS. Morris Williams and Robert Rowlands and families
THE WKLSH IN JIINNKSOTA. 125
came from Abcnk-c-n. ISoth had turmorly lived in Wisconsin,
Mr. Williams at Randolph, and Mr. Rowlands at Cambria.
Mrs. D. D. Jones also came from there. Krom Ijiswich, S. D.,
Ellis Jones and family came a few years ayo, and he has been
active \vith the Wxihlnr/a: Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Whitting-ton
and daughter Una, Mrs. Mary K. Jones and children Harry and
Mamie, and Mrs. Huqh Griffiths and son and daug-hter are from
there. Evan Griffiths is now the city editor of the Farg-o Arg-us,
at Fargo, North Dakota, and Mary (;riffiths is the cashier in
this city for the Da vies i'ackinir company. W. R. Jones, of
. Ipswich, usually spends his winters here, and Owen Rowlands
came from there. Mrs. Marifaret Williams came from Arvilla,
-South Dakota, in ISSH.
}i.\XGOK, WISCONSIN.
The Welsh peoj.le coming" from IJangor, Wis., are as fol-
lows: John R. Howells came in April, 1.S7'>, and his word is
considered authority on the value of real estate; II. (i. Morris
came soon afterwards and started a boot and shoe store. He is a
native of Proscairon. Wis., and Mrs. Morris, of Welsh Prairie,
near Cambria. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Davies kept a hotel for a
short time, and .Mrs. Davies is a beautiful singer. In ISSl, J.
H. I'arry and family came to the city; he has been four years in
the city council and at present is our city bread inspector. Rob-
ert. John and Mrs. Mingle, children of Mr. and Mrs. Parry are
living in the city, and Miss ^Mingle, their granddaughter, has
been the org-anist in one or two of the Eistcddf,Hl,iii. Mr. and
Mrs. W. H. Jones came a little later and their children, Hugh,
William, Evan, Annie and Magg-ie are still with their mother.
Mr. J(mes was the son of Rev. Hugh Jones, C(dumbus, Wis.
Prof. H. F. Pierce is well known as a music teacher, and has
g-iveri some of his compositions to the musical world. W. J.
Salisbury is with the J. L. Owens Co., and Watkin Jones is one
of our popular young men. I). D. Jones has been here several
years, and his son, V. D. Jones, is the city passenger ticket
ag-ent of the Great Northern railway, and V. E. J<mes is the
city ticket agent in the TnLm .lep.it. Mrs. J. J. J.^nes, Six-
teenth avenue, is the .laughter .d' Owen Hughes, an.i Mrs. J. J.
Jones, our dry g.)...ls nierch;inl. is the daughter of E. R. Roberts
of Bang-or, and Mrs. Nean of John Jones. Mr. and Mrs. R. Iv
Williams, the druggist, an.l our young attorney, J. T. Baxter,
have been in the city several years. Miss Mar--aret Baxter is
an iitlractive singer ami Mrs. iJardwell is ;inother sister livin-
l^t) THE WKLSH IM MINNIsSOTA
in the city. John F. Jones was formcrlv from Banyor but came
here from Bismarck, N. D.
CAilHklA, AVISCOXSIN.
No place has more Welsh representatives in the citv than
Cambria, Wis., and manv who came here from other jilaces have
previously made their home there. K. H. Jones and his broth-
ers, G. R. Jones, II. H. Jones, W. H. Jones and O. W. Jones who
have lived here, were brouirht up at Cambria. R. H. Jones
came here from Berlin. Wis., and was one of the org-anizers of
the Minneapolis Harvester Co., and for years its secretary and
treasurer. W. II. and U. W. Jones when here were in the
wholesale implement business.
J. L. Owens came to the city in July, IsTS, and has lieen
-the means of brini^'ini,'- manv others here. For several years he
was an inventor and liad charii'e of all the wood department of
the Minnea]>olis Harvester Co. He built the Jones block on
Franklin avenue, and later org-anized the J. L. Owens Co. to
manufacture the Owens P^anninfr Mills and other farm machin-
ery of his own invention, of which he is still the j^resideiit.
His children, John J. and Robert J., are heavy share holders in
the company; David, who is foreman in the shop: Richard L.,
who is traveling- salesman for the company, and Owen L. and
Mrs. J. T. Evans are living- in the city. David B. Thomas and
family came soon after Mr. Owens and are still here. His
daughters are Mrs. J. K. Jones, Mrs. Jacob Williams, ]Mrs.
Jesse Williams, Mrs. Tabitha Colter, and the sons David and
Philip are home with their parents. D. H. Evans came in 1879
and in a few years was made foreman in the Harvester works, a
position which he still holds with Woods Harvester Co., at St.
Paul. E. J. Jones, brother to Mrs. Evans, has l)een street com-
missioner in the Se\-enth ward, and he and another brother. J.
J. Jones, are members (rf the Odd Fellows (juartet. They now
live at St. Paul. Mrs. Allen Joiies is a sister of theirs. R. K.
Howells and D. R. Ilowells, nci.hews of J. L. Owens, were
among- the early comers, anil are in business together under tlie
name of R. R. Howells \' Co.. having .i store of threshing ma-
chine supplies, etc.. (HI Washington avenue, and a niann lactur-
ing- plant in another part of the city. Another l)rotluT. ll.'nj.i-
min, and the mother and sister have come to the city latvr. Mr.
and Mrs. Thomas J^ewis and O. Roberts were among the first
to ccmie. D. J. Hughes. H. A. Hu-hes. J. AV. Hii-lus and tb.ir
father, Wm. Huijhes, came earlv in the su\, the latter has been
' •;_" X
-'V.^
^
,k4M*.'a!-'''i
\
^.a^fa^
D. R. Howell.
R. R. Howell.
R. J. Owens.
John J. Owens.
WELSH MANUFACTURERS OF MINNEAPOLIS.
/' ■.
]rp>^.
'?.■' .■'
-1
—
- V...
■ \"
■ 1: ^'
M. O. Roberts.
J. L. Owens.
Oaniel T. Davis. J John H. Parry.
WELSH BUSINESS MEN OF' MINNE^VPOLIS
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 127
city lumljcr inspector, and J. W. is interi'stcd in music, and ',vas
secretary of the first Eisteddfod. H. R. ICdwards also has taken
prizes in sing-in-,'- in the local li/slrdd/odaii. D. A. Roberts and
son, Robert, are the merchant tailors on Franklin avenue, and
another son, T. D. Roberts, is one of our estimable mail car-
riers. Geori^-e W. Williams, the org-anist of the V.'elsh church,
and Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Louis Heinz, ^Nlrs. Elizabeth Roberts,
and her children, Robert, Mrs. D. D. Jonesand Mrs. S. S. Jones,
formerly lived at Cambria. Mr. and Mrs. G. T. Grifiiths, Mrs.
Griffiths is the daug-hter of Daniel Williams [(,7vi/), Mrs. W.
G. Thcmias, Mr. and Mrs. Peter E. Roberts. Mr. and .Mrs. Mor-
ris Morgan, E. II. and D. E. Edwards, Nic(das Jones, D. E.
Jones, Mrs. Casey, i ;ur Annie Hug-hes), Mary J. Evans, Mrs.
Wolfenton and II. J. Hughes the deputy state grain weig-hmas-
ter are well known there. R. D. Jones, foreman with R. R.
Howclls iSL- Co., is a son of the late Rev. Wm. Jones, Welsh
Prairie. J. M. Owens and family are from the same place.
The children are John J., Charles, Frederick, Newton, Alfred,
Mrs. Sharp and Mrs. Porter and all are doing- well.
J. J. Jones, tile dry g-oods merchant on Franklin avenue,
came from Maripiette, Michigan, in 1SS4, but was fonnerlv from
Cambria.
R. L. Jones is interested in music and has taken prizes at
several of the l-:i<-lcddfodaii.
COLfJIItl'S, WISCONSIN.
From Columbus, Wisconsin, Dr. U. G. Williams came earlv in
1883, and for several years kept a dru,g- store on Washington
avenue, but now gives all his time to the practice of medicine.
John O. Williams, one of our mail carriers, came to the citv in
1881, and is prominent in the Christian Endeavor societv ; Mrs.
Williams takes g-reat interest in painting-, and is the daughter
of the well known minister. Rev. Thomas R. Jones, who spends
part of his time at Minneapolis. Jesse Williams came about
the same time as his brother, and Daniel B. Jones, a cousin, who
at one time was the leader of the sing-ing at the Welsh church,
and now lives at West Pullman, 111.
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Williams came in 1SS4, and Mr. Wil-
liams started a drug store which he is still running- on Franklin
avenue. He takes g-reat interest in music, and has been an ac-
tive worker in the Eiitcddfodaii. They have three daugrhters,
Plidith, livelyn and Clara. Evelvn took the ]>rize on Sojirano
Solo, at the St. David AVs/rr /,//,/,/ in ls'i4, and Clara is a noted
128 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
sinjj^or, beiiii,-- (inc of the attractions of tlic Columbian Interna-
tional ICistrddfod in 1S'»:>, and is now at the Koyal Academy of
Music, rv<.)ndon, where she has won se\-eral i)ri>;es of merit.
J. O. Williams, son of Rev. Uavid Williams, came to the
city in 1S')3.
DODCIEVII.I-E, WISCONSIN.
Dodgfoville, Wi'^consin. was the former home of Mrs. Tal-
ford, and Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Lewis. Mr. Lewis has been run-
ning- a meat market in this cit}" for several years. K. K. Wil-
liams, father of ]Mrs. D. T. Davies, came from there in ISSS, and
Lizzie and Edwin, her brother and sister, are still here. The lat-
ter is a member of the firm of Uushnell, ]Moffet it Co., on Hen-
nepin avenue.
Paul Jones, enyineer on the IL & D., has been in the city
several 3-ears, but has recently moved to Montevideo. Mag-yie
J. Jones, sister to ]Mrs. P. Jones and Mrs. Talford, is livinsi- in
the city. (;eorL,'-e Jones came to the citv in ]S,s5, and has l)een
eng-a^-ed in the meat Imsiness. Ur. C. W. Williams came to the
city in 1S'>2, and has his (.>ftice in the ^hlso^ic T<.'mi>le.
From Neenah, Wisconsin, Miss ^sLir}- E. ^Nhirtin came in
18'J1, and is a faithful member of the Welsh church.
OSIIKOSH, WISCONSIN.
T. R. Daniel came from (Jshkosh, Wis., in 1SS4. and is en-
•rayed in the insurance business, an<l his brother, R. E. Daniel,
came in LS8(), and is state insurance adjuster. Hoth are inter-
ested in music, and the latter has been the musical adjudicator
several times at the Iu'i/ctlilf(uhiii.
Rev. and Mrs. D. E. Evans were formerly from Ushkosh, but
came to the city from Ivitchlield, Minn., and Mr. ICvans is pas-
tor of the House of Faith, Presbyterian church. ]Mrs. ^larya-
ret Evans, mother of Mrs. D. E. Evans and J. D. Evans, has
lived for years at Oshkosh, and another son, E. D. Evans, now
the banker at Randolph, Wis., with his family, lived a few years
here, leaving- in IS'O.
P(.)KTAC,i:, WISCONSIN.
W. (1. Bebb, who was in the dry g-oods business for years at
Portag-e, Wisconsin, came from there to Nliniieajiolis in 1SS4,
and eng-aj^-ed in the real estate l)usiness. He was interested in
every Welsh movenieiil and was tile secret. iry .d' the Cxmrndnr-
/<'W society. Their .liihlreil are still livin- here. David, the
THE WICI.SH IX MINNKSOTA. 120
oldest, is a book-keeper, William is studyini,'- for the ministry,
and Rosa studies medicine.
H. M. Jones came from Kandolph, Wisconsin, and spent
several years with R. R. Howells eV- Co., and was active with the
Wyddorfa. W. present 1ie is at West rullinan. 111. Tlis sisters,
Mrs. H. E. Jones, of St. Paul; IClla. who is steno-T.apher for the
E. S. Jones Sons; and Emma and Jvlna have been in the city
several years. Mr. and Mrs. Ezra Thomas were here some time
but have gfone to West Pullman. 111. T). (). Davies came from
there, and was one<d" the deacons in the Welsh church for some,
time before his departure lor Seattle. Mr. an<l Mrs. S. S. Jones
came ([uite recently, wishinii' a pleasant place to live on retiring-
from the farm.
The contribution of Racine, Wisconsin, to Minneapolis have
'been Mr. and Mrs. John \". Jones, their son and d;iui;-hter; Mr.
and Mrs. Thomas J.mes. and L;T;uidchildren : Mrs. Archibald
Gray, of St. Paul, and ICrma Jones. Mr. Jones was a promi-
nent lumberman for ye;irs at Racine. i'Jev. Joseph Roberts, the
fourth pastor of the Welsh church, and Mrs. Roberts spent over
live years in the city. lea\-inL;- in 1S'I4. to talce charg-e of the
Thirteenth street Welsh church of New York City. D. R.
Evans came from Racine in ISSO, and was in the grocery busi-
ness for a short time and afterwards returned to that city.
Thomas E. Jimes was for vears foreman with Harrison & Smith,
engravers and printers, and now is with the Pioneer Press, at
St. Paul. Mrs. Marv Jenkins and son, Richard Jenkins, and
daughter, Mrs. Kate Roberts and gratnl children. Marge and
John, aie from Racine; also ]Mr. T. W. Roberts, one of the active
workers of the Wyddorfa.
Miss Eibbie Lloyd came from Sparta, Wisconsin, in 1!~.S7,
and her sister, Magdalen, some time later, and they kept a
stj-lish dressmakin.g establishment on Ninth avenue for st'veral
years. Mrs. J. W. Thomas, Sixteenth avenue, is from the same
place, and has favored some id" the /u'flcddfoddii with her reci-
tations.
David Rickett is from Watertown, and has charge of the
mason work on the C. M. .V St. P. Railway. His daughter. Jen-
nie is (me of our po]>ular \-oung ladies.
The Rev. J,.hn Moses came from W.iterville. Wisconsin, in
ISS,;, to take charge of the Welsh church as its lirst settled
pastor, and remained lure over three vears. C.eorge K'ice. \\^<\..
of Waukesha countv, in the earlv So's spent some time in the
citv, and J. R. Jones, our Hloomini'toti ;i\enue L;r(Her, came from
130 THE WJvI.SH IN MINNESOTA.
there in ISS,;. .Mr. iind .Mrs. Edward Gritliths and Mrs. Robert
Powell are from tlie same place.
John E.James, the Northwestern lreii;-ht airent,)f the Lake
Shore and Michi-'an Southern railway, came from Chieai^-o in
1880, and is the son of the late John James, of Milwaukee. :\Ir.
and Mrs. Morris Jones came from Chica!j;-o earlv in the SO's. and
Robert Pritchard came in 1888, and is one of our popular sini,---
ers. T. Wynne Jones, general salesman for Bell, Conrad & Co.,
came in T88<). He is a brother of Rev. J. Wynne Jones, of Balti-
more, Md.
NOIv'Tll W.M.E.S.
Unite a number oi individuals and families have come to
the city from Xwrih Waks: K. X. Jones ami family came from
M'ontreal, Canada, liut are natives of I'orthmadoc, Caernarvon-
shire. The eldest son. I'^van Joues, i> a drauLrhtsman for the C.,
M. & St. P. railwav. and the present secretary of the II'vvA/-
orfa; Edward J<.nes takes interest in music, and William and
Richard N., Jr., are .ictive in the Wxddnrfa and church work.
W. J. ThouKi'^ and family came from the same shire. J. W.
Thomas, the oldest son, holds a g-ood positi.jn with one of the
implement firms, and is one of our most jiopular singers; he has
three brothers, Owen, William and David Richard, the last two
with their parents at St. Paul.
Griftith C. Jones, credit man i.>f K. R. llowells .'t Cfi., is a
native of Anglesey, ami preaches occasionally, and is one of our
promising young men. His brother. Win. M. Jones, came a few
years ago from Ipswich, vS. D., where he resided a short time
after coming from Wales. Roliert Hughes, who has been a real
estate dealer, and his sister, Mrs. J. K. ILiwells, and cousin,
Robert Henry Jones, are from the same shire. The latter, at
present, is studying for the ministry at Rii'on college, in Wis-
consin. Elizabeth Hughes came from Caergybi. in isss. J. J.
Owens and K\. D. Owens, J. \\. and lOli.is R. .b.nes .ind Lix./.ie
Elias Jimes are from Anglesey. Als,> J. T. (Iriftiths and fam-
ily. The daughters are .Mrs. J. J. Reese, Mrs. Arthur \'. Jones,
Mrs. Owen Thomas and .lennie and I.i/./.ie, and all take interest
in music. Owen Thomas and Arthur \'. Jones crossed the
water, and the latter is a good singer. Cidv.alader Jcnus c.ime
fnnn London in 18'il, .md is now at Chicigo in business .is a
merchant tailor. Owen Williams, district secret;ir\ .d' the
American l-Apress Co.. came from i'.ctlusda. N. W., eigh' years
ago, and is one oi our prosperous soung men.
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 131
xVllcn and Ilenrv Jones arc from Flintshire, coming- here in
1883, and are both ]>oiHilar sing-ers; Celia and Arthur, chiklren
of the hitter take interest in the same line. Robert Powell came
from the same shire in ISSl. Mag-<rie Jones has a sweet voice
and has taken several i)rizes for sing-ing- at the lustrddjodan .
She comes from Bala. Minneapolis is indebted to Denbigrhshire
for Peter Williams who came here several years ag-o. and has a
large blacksmith shop on Third street and Sixth avenue, and
his brothers, John and Thomas and families, and Arthur and
Wm. \'aughan, are from the same place.
Thomas Morris came here frcun St. Paul, but l\)rmerly from
Dolg-elly. His children, Owen T., Catherine. Mary and Kich-
ard, all singers and workers in the Endeavor society and Wydii-
orfa. D. R. Jones is from Uenbig'-hshire, and J. J. Jones, Six-
teenth avenue, from Meirionydd. Owen ICvans and II. T. Evans,
who came in 1SS2, were from the same shire. Mrs. Jones, the
widow of the former, still lives here.
Owen Thomas came from Ang'-lesey in 1SS3, and built the
Thomas block, on Franklin avenue, and afterwards went to
Seattle.
Robert Pritchar.l, lloor walker in Dcmaldson's Glass block,
was born on the other side of the ocean.
We find a great number in the city who have "Welsh
blood in their veins, but some of them must go several
generations back to trace it to //;•// Wlad f\ Xhadati. The
great grandfather of Herschell V. J<mes, editor of the Minneap-
olis Journal, came from there; and W. W. Williams, editor of
the Tribune, Dr. Thomas S. Roberts and Dr. W. A. Jones have
some Welsh blood. Attorney W. P. Roberts can trace
his family coming- from Wales in l()'i.S, the oldest mcmlter being-
Robert Cadwalader and one of the sons, Cadwalader Roberts.
They came over with Wm. I'enn and settled at Philadelphia,
Pa. " D. P. Jones and AV. O. J.mes, sons of the late E. S. Jones,
are "proud of what Welsh blood they have," and freciuently
make a visit to (;wlad Y Uan. Frank F. Davis, tlie attorney:
Joshua Williams, the hardware merchant: Sidnev .M. Owen and
his brother. II. K. Owen, editors of Farm, Stock and Home: and
R. (\. I'vans. member of the rejiublican nation;il committee,
ha\e some claini on the princijiality.
TTTE ElSTi:i)])l-finAt-.
According- to the national cusl,,m among- the Welsh. Min-
neapolis has its ICi^Udd/oiliiti and other literary s,.citties. Ap-
132 THE WELSH IX MIXNi:S( iTA.
puariiig- under various names, they have a sinLclcness ot jmrpnso,
to cultivate and deveh.p hrain puwer. Kiehls of labor are
opened for youni;- and ohl. Competitive subjects are LTiven.
Prizes are offered for the hi-diest merit. A jirominent phice is
yiven to music. A chance is i^rivcn to (h.'vehip poetic |.;-enius.
Composition is broui^dit to the front. Recitation and dechuna-
tion are not forj,fotten.
Soon after the Welsh church was started, before the church
edifice was built, a literarv society v.-;is ori^-ani/.ed. A prominent
place was ijfiven to temperance, and this society was active for
two years. Tlie first I'jslcddfod was held January 17th, ISS.^,
when choirs from Mankato an<l Minneapolis were com]>etinLr,
the latter takin.i,^ the prize. The officers were: President, Dr.
O. J. Evans; Correspondini^- Secretary, W. (r. James: Recording
Secretary, J. W. Hug-hes.
On the 24th of March, ISSI,, the Wyddor/a was orq^ani/ied
with the foUowiuLr officers: President, II. O. Roberts; Treas-
urer, D. (). Davies; Secretarv, J. W. Williams; Kxecutive Com-
mittee, Ur. 1). (). Th..mas, R. L. Owens and D. W. Davies. Be-
tween that time and January, ISSS, thirty meeting's had been
held.
An Eisteddfod WA'^ held December 2.^tli, ISSS, when Rev. E.
C. Evans, of St. I'aul, was president, and J. W. Hui^-hes, secre-
tary.
The Cymrodoriou society was or-anized September Sth,
1S91, as a secret society, and held several meetini^'s during- the
following eiyiit months, but received a severe attack of summer
complaint fnim which it did not recover.
The ofticers of this society were: President, H. O. Roberts;
Secretary, W. (\. IJebb: Treasurer, W. W. Thomas; Ser--eant-at-
Arms, \l. :M. Jones; Attornev, J. T. I]a\ter ; Committee, Dr. D.
O. Thomas, Kev. Joseph R,.berts, E. R. Jones, 1). P. Jones and
D. E. Jones.
The Wyddorja was revived in November. IS'C. and ever
since has been in a llourishini,'- con<lition. Pnder its ausjuces
two Eisteddfods have been held, one on St. David's d,iy, 1S')4,
and the other on Washin;j;-ton's birtluhiy, 1S'»,^, at both of which
H. J. Williams was president. II. R. Ivhvanls was the secretary
of the first, and J. W. Thomas of the List.
At the last one held tile foil. .win-" persons were s^-'iven
prizes: Sol,,-,, Mrs. D. 10. ICvaiis. M, ,--!,. .b,„..s, I[. K. VA-
wards, J. W. Uu-hes, Rev. D. IC ICvaiis; Duets, K. \.. J^nes and
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 133
M:i<,'-<,'-ie Juni's, Kobcrt IIuu-lics and Mai,'-i,nc Jones ; (Juartettes,
O. T. Morris, C'riia Junes, Lizzie (;rittiths and R. L. Joues, and
Mrs. J. W. Ilu-lies, Katie Jones, Mrs. J. J. Jones and Mrs. I).
E. Evans: Translation. O. J. Williams, St. Paul; Essays, Ellis
Jones andO. T. .Morris; I'oetry, J. (). Parry and O. J. Williams ;
Recitations, Haydm lOvans, Cna Whittiny-ton and O. T. .Morris.
The adjudicators were: Recitations, W. E. Williams and Rev.
J. T. Evans; l>oetry, 11. ( ). Roberts ; Essays, Revs. J. T. Evans
and D. E. Evans; Mu>ic, R. IC. Daniel and Mrs. Alice Blossom ;
Pencil Sketch, (;. W. Williitms. II,,n. J. X. J..nes, Redwood,
Hon. Job Lloy<t. Ee Sueur, and W. R. KdNv;irds, editor „i the
Tracy Kei>ublican, resi)onded to their names with elociuent re-
marks. The male chorus sang- under the leadership of Prof. II.
F. Pierce, and ]Miss Cora Owens was the accompanist.
The j.resent oflicers of the WvMor/,! are: President, Rev.
J. T. Evans: Secretary. Evan J<nu-s; Tre;isurer, Thomas Mor-
ris, Ellis Jones and Henry Jones. From its org-anization the
society has hold forty-three meetings. Its motto is: "The
truth against the world."
The Minneapolis Welsh Church.
BY J. W. WILLIAMS, ESQ.
"The Pyramids themselves, dotint,'- with ai^-e, have fory-ot-
ten the names of their founders." — Fuller.
From the earliest time, it has lieen the <_;Te;Lt problem with
mankind, how to ;i\did <leath. or if nut ;ivoid. to neutralize it.
It is incompatible with the divine instinct implanted in a ration:il
beingf to be forg-otten, and death, without furth.er revelation, is to
the mind a state of forg-etfulness, and (d' being forg-otten. It
is surprising-, h^okinir b;Lckw:ird, to see the m:L>>terful and ;il-
most effectual efforts of some great minds to jierpetuate them-
selves and their inenKny. The ant,'-el sug-g-ested to the projihet
the most effectual and accepte.l modern wav: "(n. write it in :i
book, that it m:iv be bir .ill time to come, bircver ;ind birever."
134 THE WELSH IX MIXXKSOTA.
Doubtless this is the motive of this work in <,'-eneral. ;mil of this
article in piirtieular, to perpetuate the memory of a subject we
love.
Previous to the year ISSd there were (mlv a number of scat-
tered Welsh people antl descemlants of Welsh parents, wlio,
owing- to location and the absence of a Welsh (jri^'-anizaticm were
connected with English churches, where most of them remain.
In 1880 there was a greater intlux of Welsh, attracteil princi-
pally bj- the enipbn-nient afforded by the ^linneapolis Harvester
works, and conse(|Uentl\- located contii.ruous thereto. Like the
patriarchs of old when tiiere are "'two or three" Welshmen to-
g-ether they rarely fail to build an altar. The Sunday school
having- been the jirinciple and first agent by which the nation
has attained to the high standard among^ other nationalities for
its morality and religious tendencies, we naturally look f(jr it as
the first fruit of a Welsh settlement. 'Plie first Sunday school
here, was held at the residence of Mr. John L. C^wens, Sei>tem-
ber 17, ISSfi. It had twenty members, and was made a jierma-
nent institution, holding- its sessions in rotation fri'iii house to
house. Shortly after a weekly prayer meeting was also held in
the same manner for a season. Subseiiuently the services were
held in a small rented churclr laiilding on Nineteenth avenue,
between Fifth and Sixth streets, and afterw;irds in April, issi,
removed to another rented church on the corner of Franklin and
Blooming-ton avenues. This was an unden(miinational society,
org-anized by subscrildng to the following'' pleiig-e: "We, whose
names are appended, solemnly pledge ourselves todod and to
one another to be the Lord's, and tn ser\-e him faithfull\- by the
aid of his grace forever." The little scicietv of twentv-six who
subscribed prospered until it became necessary for them to seek
a house of their own, and March 2.^. iSSl. they incorporateil
under the laws of the state and elected as trustees. Messrs. H.
D. Roberts, J. L. Owens, D. H. Evans, II. H. Jones and J. II.
Parry; who in turn were succeeded by J. R. Howells. D. B.
Thomas, Wm. Hughes, Wm. G. Thomas ami Thomas Morris.
They purchased the lots on Seventeenth axenue south, paying
S525 in cash, whereup(m now stands the church edilice. In Seji-
tember, 1S,S2, the erecticm of the new church was commenced
according- to phins made and g-i\-en gratis ]>y Mr. I). R. .lones.
architect. Cambria, Wis., ami under the direction and iiers(]nal
assistance of trustees J. L. Owen and 11. (). Rnl.erts. The
building was completeil by Ai^ril 1, ISS.;, and dedi«-at. d. The
whole expense was >2,.^o(i, ,,f which amount .■?!,. >im) was col-
^-cr '"^^
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N^.^'-:.""' /I
■'- "m>i
5=^1
\<
^
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THE WELSH IX MIXNIiSOTA. lo5
lected and paid at the time, leaving- Sl,i)()ii indebted to Mr.
and Mrs. Morris Jones, wliieh was fully liquidated in IS'iii.
In 1S,S4 an addition was nuule to it which is beiny used for
weekly meeting-s. While the church edifice is kept in first-class
repair, and is supplied with modern conveniences in the way of
furnaces, electric liylit, etc.. yet the coiij^-re^-ation feel that thev
need a larg-er and better eilitice, which wouki be in keeping- with
the position which the Welsh people hold among- the other na-
tionalities of the citv. and which no doubt would have been built
sooner but for the severe dei)ression in business circles in g-en-
eral, and abhorance to the bondag-e of a church debt.
MINISTEKS .VXD I'ASTOKS.
Previous t(_> the org-ani/.ation of the church there had been
incidental visits by different ministers of tht.' gosi)el who preached
for the few present. The first Welsh serni(.)n was jireached
at a school house, near Minnehaha and I^ake streets, by Kev. E.
R. Lewis (Congreg-ationalist), lorwerth Callestr, in 1S7'>, and
the following year the Revs. O. R. Morris, R. F. Jones and T.
R. Jones each ])reacluil in Franklin a\enue I'resbyterian church,
and later the Revs. Hugh Davies and II. I'. Howell.
February, ISSo, the Rev. John Moses having- received a call
from the church began his pastoral work which continued for
nearly three years, when he resigned and retired. The Rev. I.
N. Roberts was next calleil, and at the close of his iirst year re-
tired. Following the Kew J. C. Jones served the church verv
acceptable for a year, and at the end of that time he also re-
sig-ned. The Rev. Joseph Roberts was the longest in service of
the church, ministering^ to it for over live years. No-
vember 11, 1S')4. he also gave up his charge, and U]i to the
present the church is in search of a pastor and will not desist
until they obtain one of the best in the two continents, being
both able and aspiring enough to persevere until successful in
their endeavors.
The Rev. J. T. Evans, district superintendent of the Bible
society for Minnesota and the Dakotas, with heaihiuarters at
Minneapolis, is a member of the church and is exceedingly ener-
g-etic and useful in its interest. Mr. Robert Hcnr}- Jones, who
is a candidate for the ministrv, and is now a student at Ripim.
Wis., is a promising yriung man and a respected member.
DEACOXS .\X1) Ol'lICI'KS.
The church, which at first was undenominational, became
136 THE WELSH IN .MINXKSOTA.
united witli the Calvinistic Methodist Synod ■ C'vnuni fa), ot Min-
nesota, and the secund Preshytcrv ( Cyf'. DnfinirUi i elected three
deacons, Messrs. John L. Owen, II. \). Knhcrts and J. II. I'arry.
Subsequently :Mr. D. (J. Davies and in ISSs Mr. I). T. Davics and
John Morris were alsd chosen. D. (). Daxics has since nio\ed
to Washington and Jtdm ^Morris to Chicai^o. The other four
remain until tliis day and diligently serve the church.
In the capacity of clerks, Mr. H. ( ). Koherts served live
years ; Mr. John Morris, one year, and J. AV. Williams, eiyht
years.
The treasury has been watched over by D. H. Evans, R. R.
Davies and I). T. Davies.
.'\UX1LIAKV SOCIICTIICS.
There are the usual societies, auxiliarv and co-operative,
whose officers and members are an active and enertjcctic
support to the pastor and officers of the church. contributin>,^ to
the efficiencv of the church wcirlv in general.
The Bible and Missionary societies each are mediums by
which the church shows its api)reciation of the advantages of
Christianity and civilization whiidi it enjoys itself, doinjif its
share in disseminating^ the same joyful news among- those whom
their lines have not fallen in such pleasant places. The "One
Cent a Day Army" is an adjunct of the Missionary societx', antl
its members are the most enerj^'etic in that work inasmuch that
they pledye to contribute at least one cent a day to missions.
The Junior and Senior societies of Christian Endeavor have
their influence among- the youth and children, as a nursery to
the church, fitting- them to take up the yoke whenever their an-
cestors have laid it down, promising a permanency to the work
of the church even after the present generation shall have been
gathered unto their fathers.
The "Willing Workers," a society among the ladies, who
both willingly and eag^erly work for the church in thing-s cor-
poral and charitable, and worthily fidtill their mission.
The " Wy lid or/ a" is a literary society which is capable of
much good among the younger ]iortion of the communitv.
The little church around the corner which started with
twenty-five members has now reached its ten fold, but not yet
its zenith. From receiving Sl.sd towards aiding the ])rocIama-
tion of the glad tidings, it has since furnished .-].;. (loo towards
■.. ' r^ r^ ^'^- ^;- ^' )--■ C \
,'^A /■-■■?, r J * ♦ n*-^^ . ^4L ■.- V-ir. » ..
^-
^'
<:??-''>
M^^^m^
v,-^.-^
.-.<Dl__ u
SECOND ROW.
Mrs. n. O. Roberts. Mre. Joseph Roberts. Mrs. D. T. Davies. Mrs. Mary Jenkin
Mrs. R. N. Jones. Mrs. J. J. Jones. Mrs. J. W. Thomas.
Mrs. J. H. Parry. Mrs. D. B. Thomas. Mrs. J. L Owens.
Mxs. Lizzie GrifTiths. Mrs. Hush Griffiths.
SOCIETY OF WILLING WORKERS. MINNEAPOLIS,' MINN.
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 137
the same jiurpose. Has williin tlie last three years sent sueciir
to the extent of S4(ifi tn missionaries, and liel]>e(l in distributinLT
$30(1 worth of Bibles to the heathen. Harbored 4iin transients
who bless her for a temiiorary home, and has been the last suc-
cor to thirty of its mend)ers who ai>proached the yates of im-
mortal mansions, to whose title many of them owe a helping-
hand in the ministration afforded them within the sacred pre-
cints of its sanctuary.
THE WELSH SETTLEiMENT OF LIME
SPRINGS, IOWA.
BY THE KEV. DANIEL WILLIAMS, BANCKOFT, IOWA.
INTRODUCT'ON.
I.ANGI'ACl-; AND LOCATION.
The short sketch that I shall write about the Lime Sprino^s
"Welsh settlemcTit \vill no doubt lie reail b_v many Welsh people,
but I shall constantly keep before my mind, as I write, the
American reader, who is not able to read the Welsh lani^uas^'-e,
and is not familliar with Welsh customs.
First of all. a word may not be out ot place about the Welsh
lang-uag-e. Many suppose that the lanyuaye of Wales is simply
the lanffuag-e of England, of which the principality of Wales, is
in some sense a ]uirt, but this is a great mistake. There is
hard]}- a lang-uage in Europe that differs more radically from
the English than the Welsh. They belong- to different families
—the English to the Teutonic, and the Welsh to the Celtic fam-
ily. As the Angles and Saxon came from northern Germany,
the English resembles its old sisters, the Oerman, Dutch and
the Scantlinaviau tongues; it has been very materially changed
bv the influence of the Latin, so that it now resembles, in many
points, what are known as the Romance tongues — the French,
Spanish, Italian, etc.. but the Welsh was the original language
of Britain— of a part of the islan.l at least- when the Angles
and Saxons c;ime, and retains to this day its ilistinctive traits,
and its distinguishing features. That it (HIIYts from the I'hig-
lish may be shown in this wa}-. One of the most jiopular (d'
THE WKI.SII IN MIXXKSOTA. 139
En<rlish hymns. "(Tiiiile Mo. O Thou Crciii Jchdviili?" -.vas writ-
ten by a \Volsh minister, Krv. William Williams. The same
hymn is a favurite with the Welsh -in its Welsh version, ..f
course. Which of the two \ersiims was written first 1 do not
know. The first stanza of th.e Welsh runs thus:
■'ArylwN-cUl I arwain trwy'r aniahvch
Fi bercrin ywael ei weild,
Nad CCS yiiof nerth na liywyd,
Fol yn yorwedd yu y hedd.
"HoUalluo-"
Ydyw'r un a"m cwyd i"r Ian."
"Below is a translation of the above, word for woril:
Lord yuide throu;.,''h the wilderness,
Me (a) pilgrim poor his look.
Not is in me, strength nor life,
Like a-lyin^' in the gTave.
Almi-hty
Is the one that will lift we up.
There is very little resemblance, it will be seen, between a
word in Welsh and the s.mie word in Ivng-lish. 'llirniti^h and
trzi'V in the tlrst line, ni and \)i in the fourth are about the only
instances in which any resemblance can be seen.
The patriotic Welshman will jirobab.y not ai^-ree with me
that the Welsh is a diflicult lanixuaye to ac(piire by mere irram-
mar and lexicons, but such it certainly is. Its euplionic chang-es
— though one who has learnt the lanL;-uage when a child, makes
them without the least effort and without the least mistakes—
to a "foreigner"' must be very puzzling. AVhen to drop the c at
the beginning of a word, or change it into if" or eh. when to
change the / to d or tli is a knowledge he will have only after
learning many rules, and after ]nitting these rules in practice
for many a month. It is rarel v that one who learns the language
from books becomes a master of ilie Welsh in this rc'spect.
A few years ag'o a profes-,or of ancient languages, in ime
of the colleges of Maine, ina.le himself familiar with this lan-
guage, by the use of the bible, grammar and lexicon. Ilis tes-
timony is this: "Of all the languages I have studied, the most
complicated and wonderful in its euphonic changes is the
Welsh." Dr. .lames Iladlev. long j.nd'essorof Creek in Yale
college, h;id (|uite an .affection for the Welsh; only a short time
140 THE WELSH IN MIXNICSOTA.
gave them the traiishitii^n. The Camhriaiis of Iho l'niti.-il
States arc just now jirniul of an American lailv. of 'Wilkcsbarrc.
Pa., Miss Edith 15niwcr, who it appears, has hecome quite
familiar with the Welsh huii,'-uai;-e. In the Athintic Montlily.
for January, 1S')5, there is rr<jm her pen an -excellent article .hi
"The Meaninj; of the Ju'stcddjodr Letters written in WcMi
by the late Dr. Iluyo Schuchart, of (iratz, Austria, show that
he had a remarkable command of tlie Welsh.
This lang-uag-e, thoui^^-h known to but few •'foreigners. "' i-.
the lang-uajre of Wales, and is the lanyuag-e in daily use in
thousands of families in America. It is the lang-uag-e in use in
the settlement of which we now undertake to g-ive a short
sketch.
The Welsh settlers of Lime SitriiiLTs are to be found in six
-townships, Dristol, York and Ueavcr. Southern I'illmore county.
Minnesota, and Albion, Forest City and Chester. Northern How-
ard county, Iowa. The settlement, therefore, is divided into
two parts by the state line, and into nearly two equal parts l)y
the Upper Iowa river. Lime Springs is a town of tino
inhabitants. In the language of railroad men, it is a town
on the I. & M. division of the C, M. & St. P. R. R., half
way between Austin and Calmer. One mile north of it is
the old town of the same name. Four miles northeast is
Foreston, on the river already mentioned. Foreston is not
far from the g-eograi)hical center of the settlement. With P'or-
eston as a centre, a circle drawn with a radius of twelve miles
or so, would inclutle aliout all the Welsh families in this part of
the countr}-.
In early days Foreston was quite a villaufc, containing in
ISGC) probably fifty or sixty buildings, but when the railroad
came to Lime Springs in lSi)7, its death sentence was sig-ned :
for many a da}- it has been like the deserted village of (iold-
smith, except that in this case the ground is deserted bv the
buildings, and not the building-s by the inhabitants. The mill.
the proprietor's house and barn, the miller's house and Thurber's
barn on the hill, are the only buildings now to be seen ; and
these are all of recent constructiim, except Thurber's barn; it
stood there, we believe, in ante-railroad times. For the sake of
convenience we will g-o out from Foreston and locate definitely a
few other points. A mile and a half south is the Forestim
church, four miles southwest is the church of Lime Sjiring-s and
six miles northeast is the liristol cluircli. Fmrn the location of
these Welsh churches mav be gathered the location of the Welsh
^;:''v
■■■'.■'\
t'l
\ -^ i': .1 • — ■
1 r •/ '
— ...'.
.,;.-!;• -^ '"'..r "^v.
rir. and Hrs, John A. Jones.
EARLY SETTLERS OF SOUTH BEND, MINN.
v3 ' "^
/'
. y
rir. and Hrs. John R. W illiams.
EARLY SETTLERS OF BRISTOL, MINN.
THE WELSH IN JIINNKSOTA. 141
families, fi.ir the churches were Iniilt. of course, at points most
convenient for the greatest numljcr. Eii>iiteen miles north of
Foreston is Preston, the county seat of Fillmore; twelve miles
southeast is Cresco, the county scat of Howard; t\)ur miles south
is Barker's Grove, a lari^'-c i,rrove on liiyh yround ; in \ery early
times, according- to tradition, a famous hidin;,-- place for horse
thieves. The next town above Foreston, on the river, is ohl
Lime Sprinirs, then comes Chester, the next one below is
Granyer and not far below is Decorah, one of the chief towns
in northeastern Iowa.
CHAPTEK I.
EAKI.Y .Sl'.TTLlCKS — lS5(i -ISfid.
In this chajiter we propose to i^ive rather a full account of
some of the early settlers. The first Welshman who came to
the vicinity of Lime Sprini,'-s, of whom we have any account,
was R. W. Jones, in the sinnmer of 1856. xVmerica may have
been discovered before the days of Columbus, but it was Col-
umbus who made the western continent known to the civili/.ed
world. We believe that there was a Welshman or two near New
Oreg-on (southwest of Cresco) before the cominijf of Jones, but
it was Jones, as we shall see, who m.'ide the crmntry known to
others, and drew in other Welsh families. Jones and his wife
returned to Dodi;eville, Wis., his former home, in the autumn of
1S5(), and remained there until the spring- of 185.S. In the spring-
of 1858, Jones, not wishing- to come to the fair land alone, said
to an acquaintance, Thomas Evans, "If you will come with me I
will g-et you there eig-hty acres of land." With their wives they
came, and Jones was as y-ood as his word, he secured the north-
east quarter of Secti<m ,^2, York township, and gave half of it
to Evans, who built a house thereon, where he lived several
years. (This quarter corners land now owned by Kev. K. \V.
Hug-hes). Jones at this time, we believe, had two children: one
of them now lives near the Foreston church.
During- the summer of ISdO, Jones went north to Chattield,
where the land office was at that time. Here he accidentally
met four Welshmen, J. J. J.mes, J. R. Williams, (). D. (Iwens
and R. W. Thomas, moving westward looking f.ir land. Jones
began to tell them of the advantages id" Southern Fillmore, and
prev.-iiled upon these men to turn their faces that way. This
was an important event. There was a relationship. J. J. Jones'
142 ' THE WELSH IX MIXNEPOTA.
wife was a sister of Owens: J. R. Williams married another
sister, and all these were cousins of the wife of R. W. Jones.
Yet this meeting- in Chatlield was i>urely accidental, and nmst
important in the historv of the Welsh settlement; alter this, one
famih' came in the wake of another, one ir.an came because an
acquaintance had Cdtni' before him, but thiv meetiu'^- at C'hal-
lield was a mere accident. Had this not occurred it is fjuite jios-
ble that the Welsh settlement of l^ime Springs would never have
come into existence, and the lot and relationship of hundreds, if
not thousands of persons, would have been otherwise than thev
are.
J. J. Jones had been U]ion the northern lakes, and was often
called b}- his conn)anions "Sailor Jack" or oftcner "Jack Jones."
and this sobritiuet clun^- to him throuyh life. J. R. William-,
also became known as "Jack Williams." and is so known to this
day, to youny- and (dd, Welsh and others. Jack Williams took
land in the southeast corner of York, Jack Jones to the north
and Thomas to the east, across the line in liristol,
A Sunday scho(d was started this summer in J.J.Jones'
house, with Thomas the only ])rcd'essin^;- I'hristian amonir the
men as superintendent. Alon^r towards winter Thomas re-
turned to Wisconsin, and Jack Williams. l)ef<ire sjirint,'-, in cpiest
of a wife.
In ISf.O, D. J. Davies and wife returned to Wisconsin, hav-
ing- been missionaries amoni,'- the ( >mah;i Indians for seven years.
In the summer of 1S()1, David and his family, his brother Wil-
liam, also, and his family, set out toward the west again ; this
time to find a home, possibly in W'estern Iowa, not far from his
former field of labor. These families crossed the ^Mississippi at
Prairie du Chien, and following the main road west through
Nt)rthern Iowa, encam[>ed (me evenintr on the fiank of the Little
Cedar river. There they heard Lime Springs mentioned. Wil-
liam remembered that his friend (t. G. Roberts, in Wisconsin,
was accustom to say, that Lime SprinLfs was the postoftice ad-
dress of his brother-in-law. J. J. J,.nes. and the Welsh families
with him. Next mornini^- the brothers. Iea\'ing their families
where they were, -'took the trunks out of the light wagon,
hitched up the cream colored horses," and started towanl Lime
Springs. t<i visit thes,' Welsh families. .\ i\ w miles west of
Lime SpriuL.'-s they met one Richard Lt wis. whose people the\
knew in Wisconsin. He inl'orme<l them that a few miles further
Hvc.l a Welshman. Thomas Leans. Lvar.s w.is ,me of those
enthusiastic men. in whose e\es the iuture is alwa\s bviLjht and
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 14.i
the place where they live is always tlie hest. lie imineeliately
beg-an to des^-ant on the ^-lories of the country. The soil was
incomparable, the advant.iu'es in every respect ni(.)st excellent.
His arg-umentb must have had \vei^"ht and his el<i(|Uence nuist
have been effective, for we liiid that AVilliani very soim located
upon a piece of land and both were ijuite pleased with the
country. The morning- before leaving, David, at family wor-
ship, had prayed very earnestl}- for di\ine guidance; on his re-
turn he said to his wife: ■•\\'el dyma ni wedi g-weld tir yr
addewid" — we have seen the promised land. The wlnde cmi-
pany immediately turned about and began to move in the direc-
tion of Lime Springs. It was the Fourth of July. ISdl
soon after they left the Cetlar. David took possession of a
small house ne;ir the creek, not far from ]i\-ans, while
-William, and his famiU'. went on his land two miles west. The
Welsh community, i^ettini;' this strong re-enforcement, reviveil
the Sunday school, which had i^oiie down at the departure of
Thomas several months before. Late this year two visitors
from Wisconsin came to spy the land. Hugh Ldwards • Hud-
zv!-o<r') and his friend John Roberts.
No family, as far as we know, moved in during- 1S(>2. Yet
this year was not without its importance. And first, we woulil
mention a cloud of sorrow tliat came over the little Welsh com-
munity ; in March of that year occurreil the death of Thomas
Evans, the second, as we have seen <d' the Welsh settlers. He
was buried north, near Canlield's. but the remains have since
been renu^ved, as we have been informed, to the cemetery of
Bristol. The attending physician was Dr. Reed, still residing
at Lime Springs. During this summer ag-ain came tM'o men on
a visit from Wisconsin : Jidm D. Williams, and his neighbor,
William Lewis. Williams was a brotlier-in-law of I). J. Davies.
He had started the summer before, but not meeting- the Davies
brothers at I'rairie du e'hieii, as he expected, returned home
without ganng further. In June. 18(>2, he and Lewis came via
Dodgeville, up the Mississippi, then west across Southern Kill-
more. Williams was accustomed to relate an inciilent connected
with this journey reflecting honor on him as a pedestrian rather
than Lewis. Starting out one morning on foot from Caled<inia,
with thirty miles before them, they espied a team in the dis-
tance, going in the same direction. They immediately decided
to give chase, overtake it if j.ossible, aud secure a ride. They
(piickened their jiace, exercised all their powers as on they went.
Thev hailed the driver, nuule signs, but with no success; either
144 THE WKI.SH IN MINXi:S()TA.
he did not hcur, or did not heed. Lewis soon began to feel that
the task was a biij one, was g-ettiniif discouraged, and advised
g-iving up, but Williams insisted on yfoing- on. Lewis was
rather corpulent, and had a peculiar g-ait which was not at all
favorable for a forced march. It was a warm June mornin.y.
Williams, wIk.) was now se\eral varils ahead, and by this time
carrying- both bundles louked around and saw that the perspira-
tion was showing itself through I^ewis" linen coat, but on they
went.
The present generation are not aware of the fact that John
D. Williams, in early and middle lite, was able by putting four
of his fing-ers in his mouth., to jirc^duce one of the most powerful
and piercinjj whistles ever heard from a human head ; coming-
at this time to the br<AV of a hill, he dro]>ped his bundles, put
h-is fingers in his mouth and whistled. The driver looked arc.iund
and brought his team to a standstill. When they came uj) to
him they found that he had a lame horse, or the chase would
have been more desperate, and likely less successful. They were
carried, however, several miles and were well paid for the extra
effort put forth in the morning.
During this visit, Williams bought the quarter secticm now
owned by Kev. R. W. Hughes, for about b450, and eighty acres
west of it for S200, and another eig-hty acres near by, in 1S()6,
with a crop on it for Sl,(tiii».
Lewis bought eig-hty acres in Lristol for S200, and the ad-
joining eighty acres in ISd'i, with a small crop for .S.^, ()(»). From
this it may 1)e seen that the time to buy land m Southern Fill-
more was early in the Go's. The first Sabbath Williams and
Lewis attended the Presbyterian service at Lime Springs, antl
listened to a sermon bv I^ev. Adam Craig-. On the second Sab-
ba'th, Williams preached in Welsh at the house of J. J. Jones.
This was the first Welsh sermon in this part of the country.
No new family came in 1863, yet it was a year of interest.
Early in 1S()3, Thomas decided to visit Minnesota ag-ain. Leav-
ing- his home near Oshkosh. Wis., he lodged one night with
John D. Williams. Williams said to him: "If you see land in
Minnesota that vou like, come back this way; I can borrow
money for you from an old bachelor in this neighborhood, who
has money to loan." Thomas went on to Prairie du Chien, and
at McGregor found a man from near Lime Springs, with whom
he rode as far as flarker's (Jrovc : then walked to Foreston and
on to Jack Williams", lie bargained for eiirhty acres near what
he had bought l)elore, and then returned to Wisconsin. At
TIIIC WIvL.SII IN RIINNliSOTA. 145
Port;i<4-c City, lie cnterod the oar for Cambria, to ufct the inoncv
promised by John D. Williams, but as he beg'an to l(_)ok fcir
Cambria, to his amazement he discovered ho had taken the wrong-
train ; that ho was on the main line g-oing- towards Milwaukee,
and was now rushiuL,'- towards Wyocena. Consultin;^- his poclcct-
book he founil lliat to get back was simply imixissible, lor his
remaining- chang-o had been g-iven for a ticket for Ciimbria, ;ind
now he was rushing- away from Cambria on another road.
What to do was the question. Finally the conductor kindly
allowed him to ride to Watertown, from which place he slowly
worked his wav towards his home near <)shkosli, dependin;^-.
most of the way, we presume, upon "John Shank's Mares."
After g-otting- home he wrote Williams a letter about the land
and the money, adding-: "The best way is for you to send the
"S2<)(), an<l take the deed in yi>ur own name, and if I can g-et the
money in the future I will jiay you." About two years after
this, Thomas, having- saved the ?2()(», came to Cambria, paid
the money, plus the interest, ]>aid the old bachelor, and the deed
was signed to him by ".1. D. Williams and wife." This is the
way men did business in primitive times.
In the spring of lS(..i, •■when the snow was g-oing- awav,"
came David Kolierts i lloiil Xcwydd), and his brother. Robert,
to visit the new colony. .Vfter them came R. P. Jones and Rev.
Robert .Morris, a Congregational minister, from Wisconsin.
This is a date we can fi.x. "Morris." savs one, preached a ser-
mon on Easter Sund.iy, and baptized a little .girl, now one of
the wives of ]>ristol. That was the first time for me ever to
hear about Easter." In Juno, came H. H. Morris and J. D. Wil-
liams. They returned to Wisconsin tog^cther, and this date we
can fix; for they broU'_;-ht the sad news of the accidental shoot-
ing that day, north of Cambria, cjf a young- g-irl on her way
home from school. This happened, according- to records still
extant, June 2*), ISd.". During'- this summer, a little before the
Fourth, came Rev. J. A. Jones, of Berlin, Wis., on a visit.
The day before the Fourth. lSo4, ( ). K. Jones and family
arrived in Foreston. Mrs. Jones was a sister of J. J. Jones. A
little later, jirobably in .Vugusl, came Rev. J. .V. Jones and fam-
ily. Mr. Jones had been called to minister to the -spiritual wants
of the English conLrre;,r;ai.,n at Foreston, and the Welsh people
of Southern Minnrsotu.
Early in 1S(,? came K'. I'. Jones and family, :ind settled on
a farm in Drisloj. DnriuL;- the autumn came Rowland l'".\a;is
146 THK WELSH IX :mixxk.s(jta.
crtSj'who wont back to "Wisconsin. Evnns and family spent the
winter north in the town of Forestville.
In May, ISr.G, came H. II. Morris and R. W. Ilu-hes ; Wil-
liam R. Jones also came aliout the same time with his family.
Late this year came Hii,i;-li Edwards. K. T. Williams and their
families, and J. I). 'WilUams, in Xovenaher. to his farm on the
state line. 2^Iany boui,'-ht land this year, intendin;,'- to come in
the following,'' sprini.,^.
On Christmas day was held a ijfreat Welsh literary meetiiiLT,
in the F.^reston scho.d huildln-— a Welsh Jii./cddjoif on a small
scale. The evenini,'- meetinLT was held in Kni^-lish. Some may
remember Henry \'an Lenven"s t)ratiim on ••Pr(.ijj;-ressive Knowl-
edj^'-e," and R. T. Williams' address on '•The Ori^-inal History of
the Celtic Race," anil those who had recently left their old homes
and were still feelim^- that this was a ne\v country, very much
enjoyed a soul;- suul;' by Rev. J. A. Jones and family, "Pinini;-
for Home and the Old Fireside."
This Christmas evening, by Rev. J. A. Jones, in his
own house, was solemnized, we believe, the lirst marriage
in this Welsh settlement. Jane, dau-iuer of W. 1'. Da vies,
was married to R. W. Hughes. We have indeed heard a
story, that Jack Williams was married here in very early
times. There is much of the luimorous about Jack, and some
people like to tell stories, and it may be get up go.nl
stories, about him. This story runs that he was married at a
very -early day by Justice Sales Green; that he had not the
wherewith to remunerate (rreeu for hi-- ser\ices, and that
the justice had to wait on Jack for payment until fall. Hut this,
we believe, must be a fabrication. (.)ur impression is that Jack-
was married in Wisconsin: that he was married by a preacher,
and that the preacher was paid for his services, there and then,
in the current coin of the country.
CHAPTER II.
COM IXC. IX t;Ki:.\.i' xumi;i:k's — i'K<)si-i;Kn'v — Ai)\i;Ksrrv — acci-
UICXT.S.
We have dwelt at some length ><n the history of these years,
1S=,(, ]Si,(, ; and th.at for several reasmi-,. The ].ioneers of every
country deserve honor. These settler-, for the lirst ten \ears,
were few in numiiers ; we can Count them, as it wi-re, aud gel
acipiainled wiLh them as they come in. Tiii^ becomes imi>nN>i,,ie
Rev. UanicI T. Rowlands and Wife.
Group of Welsh Settlers of Lime Springs, la.
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W. J. Lewis.
David J. Davies.
D. K. Jones. Owen E. Williams
EARLY WELSH SETTLERS OF LIME SPRINGS, IOWA.
TUE WKLSH IN MINNESOTA. 147
after 1S()(). Evcrv inun is known in a small villag-c, not so in a
oreat city. But the chief reason is this : Not many who took
prominent part in these early times are now to be found. It may
be well to record these events before the survivors are yone to
the silent land.
We shall touch but li!,'-litly, and in a different way, upon the
years 1S(.() LS'IS. ICarly in ISdT, the Welsh families be|j:an to
come in g-reat numbers, liach of the months, March, April and
May, of that year, probably saw as many families comint,-- in, as
were to be found in the whole settlement in October of the i)re-
vious 3'ear ; and the v ke])t coming' in ^•oi idly numbers till 1S7(>,
or later. And these were years of prosperity. The land was
constantly rising in value. This always inspires the land owner
It g"ives him hope and courage. The wheat crop was g;o<)j. and
the price high. We remember very distinctly that in the au-
tumn wheat was Sl..^i) per bushel. A farmer woulil go to Lime
Spring-s in the fall of that year, with a good load of wheat — fifty
bushels, the product of two or three acres — and return with S75
in his pocket. Indeed, we have recently noticed a newspaper
item, that the highest price ever paid for wheat in a great mar-
ket was S.T.Oi), in Chicago, abi)ut this period of which we are
writing. Yet there were some drawbacks. .Machinery was ex-
pensive. Hired help was hig'-h. Taxes were high. Interest was
hig-h, lU per cent or m..re. :Many of the Welsh farmers had
homes or barns to build, .and coming"- in on a prosperous wave,
many mortgaged their land to g'-et hold of more. But gaxnl times
are (jften dangerous times. It is when the dav is ]ileasant and
the sea calm that the lisherni.an ventures out too far ; and pros-
perous times do not last forever. The se\en years of plenty in
the land of Egypt were followed by seven years of famine. A
few )-ears after the times we have tlescribed, with the farmers
around Lii!ie Springs, the tide began to turn, and the water to
flow back, and many a vessel- to carry out the ligure-- was left
on the strand hig-h and dry. Many a farm had to go bir the
mortgag-e, and many a farmer— prosperous a few years before —
had to leave in spite of all he could do, for other reg-ions, to be-
gin life over again, and that in some cases with but very little
capital. This unfavoralile ptriod continued for four or live
years, beginning'- with 1S7S. ^Vt this time the wheat crop failed,
and as wheat was the farmers" nuiin support, the failure of the
wheat crop was keenly felt by all. It wa-^ aliout this time that
a change was m.-ide, from wheat raising to dairying ;ind stock
raising, and this is the line of farming lollowed ever since. The
. wciitho
xhiy in ci.
cious bar
ACCIDICNT
148 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
farmers who were able to weather this storm, lived ami
pered, and are nearly all today in eonifortahle eireunistane
their <!-ood houses and capacious barns testify.
It may not appear out of jdace to ijfive some space. an<l this
place is probably the most appropriate, to a few unpleasant and
indeed sad occurrences, in the history of the Lime Springs set-
tlement. Calamities and disasters, thoui^h not pleasant to nar-
rate or dwell upon, at the time produce profound impressions in
the community where they happen, and are lony remembered by
the inhabitants. The Johnstown Hood will not be forirotten in
Pennsylvania. The Ponieroy cyclone will be remembered by
many families in Iowa for lony years to come. Something's took'
place in the Welsh community of Lime Spring's that made threat
impressions at the time, and are vividly remembered to this day.
The lirst that we shall mention occurred early in 1S(,7. at
the milldam in Forcston. Two brothers, and another man, had
gone one day to Preston to inquire about land. Keturnintc to
Forcston that eveniny^, the)- found that the water had risen, that
the team could not cross over the dam. One brother tot>k the
team a mile north to John D. Williams', where he remained over
night. The other unlortunate br<ither, in crossing the millpon<l,
was carried bv the current, boat, boatman and all, over the dam
and thrown, of course, into the boiling waters below. His body
was found six weeks later a mile down the river. The boatman
reached the shore and was taken up thoroULrhly chilled and ex-
hausted. The writer has a very viviil recollection of this event ;
for next morning, when the other br(UIier was about ready to
start with the team toward Forcston, two men were seen coming
across the field in the garb of hunters. They called John 1>.
Williams aside and inb)rmed him of the sad accident. J. 1).
Williams accompanied the brother to Forcston, takinir the writer
along (who was very unwilling to go on such
a journey ) a
quietly broke to him the sad news on the way.
Some years after this J. D. Williams, J.
.\p. Jones,
Cambria, Wis., :ind two ether men had the <lrea
Iful experien
of finding the boat sinking under them in the mi.
die of the po
by the breaking of a plank in the bottom. W
llianis. tli..UL
not a "swimmer," sw;im this time and successful
ly reached t
dam on the upper side. The others were Carrie
i down by t
strong current, and swe]>t through the dam, win
ch at this til
was partly broken. The twii younger men, 1
owever, beii
TIIK WKI.SII IN JIINN'ESOTA. 14")
thoroug-hly alive to the situalinn, and " graspin.y^ at a straw,"
caug-nt hold of a piece of tiiiilicr in the end of the dam as they
were rushed throuy-h, and held on until rescued. Jones, who was
older, more corpulent and much more unwieldly, was carried
along' by the current to the waters below, but fortunately' found
his feet touching- terra Jhniui, as he was floating- over a little islet
some yards below the dam. Thus no lives were lost, but the
dang-er was gre.-it, and the experience, thouL,^h the narration was
amusing to t)thers after the event, was not to be forgotten by
those who were immediately concerned.
Some years after this again four persons, father, son, daugh-
ter and nephew, were crossing one Sunday morning- to church.
Not crossing " far enough up," the boat was carried duwn by
the current, but prnvidentially, as tliey were going- over the
dam, the front end of the lioat struck on a large stone on the
lower side and lodged there, with the hind end ujion the dam,
and the four persons inside. Word went to the P^oreston school
building, where services were held in those days, and the shore
was soon lined by an anxious crowd. The question was how to
reach the boat, or how to g^et the peoj)le out of the dang-erous
I)lace they were in. And this must be done cjuickly for the river
was rising-, and the boat, in all probability, would soon be dis-
placed and thrown into the boiling- waters below. Some en-
deavored to wade part way across the dam, bracing- themselves
against the current by the use of pitchforks ; others attemined
to ride on horses near enough to throw a rope. After manoeuv-
ering about in this way for some time, they succeeded in throw-
ing them a rope, which the son tied around his sister and cousin,
-who were then put out and (juickly drawn ashore by the crowd.
This was done again to the father, and finally the son; and the
moment his foot left the boat, down it went into the boiling-
waters.
THIC BLIZZAKD OK JAXUAKY, lS7o — DICATH OK KEY. J. J. KVAN.S.
But in writing of accidents, the saddest by far that ever oc-
curred in the "Welsh settlement of Lime Sjirings, was the death
of Rev. J. J. Evans, wife and child, in the blizzard of lS7:^.-■'
Many, no doubt, remember that storm. We are not sure but
the word "blizzard" — to denote a terrific snow storm— was first
used about that time. The writer was that winter at Minne-
apolis, if a ]iersonal reminiscence may be i>ardoned. liefore him
lies a letter lie wrote home " January 2ii, ls7.^," two weelcs after
the storm. We iiuote tlie following : '• We liave read of m;niv
150 THK wivi.sii IX :\iixxrsoT.\.
deaths in the kite storm, the P^ilhiioro boys camo hack Saturday
nio:ht with a story frii^-htful to mc. < 'no of thctn said that a
Welsh minister, wife, three children and team, had fro/en to
death January 7th, thne or four miles nortli of ( iransrer. The
other had heard that it was south o! (Iranu-er, and that they
were within half a mile of home. l^lease let me
hear b}* return mail." ^V letter soon came. i,''ivini.^ full jiarticu-
lars, but as this letter is not to be found, and as we do uot like
to g"ive important facts ffoni memory, we asked B. F. l);i\-ies,
Esq., of Cresco. to consult for us the liles ,,f the " Ilowartl
County Times " .ind " Iowa Plain Dealer." He kindly replieil.
Wequote from his letter oi March 25th. IS'i.S: '• The copy of
the Times dated Janu.ary It.. 1S7.^, is missiuLT. The copy of Jan-
uary 0th menlioTied the storm on Tuesday ^ J.anuary 7tli .. and
the stormini;- at time of ^-oinu" to press. l':ii>er of January 2.'rd
says that the r.ailroad Idockade of t\eo weeks' duration had ended
and trains were rininiiii;-. The Plain Dealer i>f January 17th has
the followin.ij:, but I .lo not believe it exactly correct.
Accini;xT,s with I'.xi'usri';]-: and iii:atii.
The terrific storm that swept over this roLrion of country
last week was attended by unusually severe and fatal conse-
quences. We learn of the death of Rev. John Kvans, a Welsh
clcrgfj-man, residint;- in the townshi]i of Forest City, who, with
his wife and two small chihlren, were durinu" the evenini;- at a
prayermeeting- (?), some two miles i ? i from liome. Their course
home was facing- the storm, and it seems that when near there,
the team became fast in the snow. Whereupon Mr. Kvans took
one child about three years old .and carneil it hcmie, its arms and
feet (?) becomint,^ so badly frozen as to result in death probably.
He then took some quilts and returned for his wife and babe.
His wife was probabl\- so ln'numbed that she couhl not i^c, for
she was found frozen to death near '.''< the sleii^di, while he, it
seems, after g-oini,-- about ten rods, fell upon i?) the babe, in
which condition both were found next day."
Believing that the above was not correct in se\eral jKirticu-
lars (see interrogation mark at doubtful ]iointsi we again wrote
to one of the sons of Mr. ICvans, who likely gave us just .about
the f.-icts in fcdlowing few lines :
"The.leath ol my parents was somethini;- like this: On a
pleasant afternoon, Tuesd:iy, January 7th. Is'i,;. they went to
visit a neighlior, three-.piarters of a mile from home. Ab.uit
live in the afternoon it began to storm. Thev started home about
TiiK wKT.sii IN :\nxxr.soTA. 151
seven. The nei^'hlmr lived in ;i grove, so tliey did not know the
severity of tlie storm before they started, but soon after leaviuL;-
the house, they came upon the open (irairie, and had the sti.rm
full in the face, without a fence or anythinLT to (^uide them.
Father reached the house the first time .abnut eleven, and to.ik
with him some clothes. About midniirht he came ag-ain. with
little Lizzie, and returned for mother and the baby. The ther-
mometer was about eigdit below zero. The next dav mother was
found, also the cutter and horses : and the day alter father atid
the baby near tog-ether, and not far from mother, who was in
the cutter."
We have heard neig-hbors relate that Wednesday, the day of
the scarcli, was a frig-ht fully cold day. If the thermometer
stood eig-ht below the night bcb.re. with a terrible ,g-ale of wind
from the northwest, it nuist have been close to thirty if not to
forty the following- day. lly Thur-^day. when Mr. Evans' body
was found, the storm was somewhat abated. A person told us
recently that he was sent to inform the sister and family a few-
miles away. Wishing- to have the news presented to the sister
as g-ently as possible, he called her husband outside, and g-rad-
ually broke the news to him ; but he was entirely overcome and
seemed to have lost all control of himself. lie went directly into
the house and said t.j his wife, " John Evans, his -wife and chil-
dren, arc frozen to <leath." The sister fell to the floor on her
face and was for a time unable to move or speak.
INIr. Evans was to preach the following: Saljbath at the For-
cston school h(.)use, but on that day the funeral sermon \yas
preached to an immense number liy Rev. O. K. Morris. The
sermon now lies before us. It was a serious, thoug-htful, appro-
priate discourse from the words in the Acts <if the Apostles,
" And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made g-reat
lamentation over him."
This death of Kev. Mr. Evans, and his family, in this way
made a g-reater impressicm than anything- of the kind that ever
occurred in the settlement. Eeside the circumstances connecleil
with the event, the fact that Mr. Evans was one of the minis-
ters, well known and very much respected, tended to deepen the
impression.
CIIAPTEK III.
rKo:\riN-i.:xT micx— K-ia.iciox— Tin- cih-kciiks.
A sketch of the Lime Sj.rings Welsh settlement, or of anv
other Welsh settlement, would be .piite mcomidete without o.n-
152 THE WELSH IN MIXXKSfiTA.
sidcrablo space in it ^rivcn to the suhject of rolii^'-inn ; lorrelij;"ion
has a prominent place amon-- the \Velsh in any ])art ol' the
world. Uut helore we take up tliis immediate (|Uestion, we may
l)e allowed to mention a lew of the most prominent i)ersons in
the Lime Springs conimuniiy. Ily prominent persons we do not
mean, of course, men of national or international re]>utation —
the little Welsli conimunit\- of Lime Sjirings coukl not claim
such distinction- hut men who ha\e been, or are now. more
forward in the community, or cNewhere, than others. As such,
wo would first mention the
The ministers of Lime Springs fall into three classes.
The Pioneer MinisUTs-Kevs". J. A. Jones, J. 1). Williams,
D..T. Kowlan.ls, 1). (). Jones, ( ). K. Morris and J. J. Evans.
The Pastors— Or those who have had special care of partic-
ular churches: Kev. ( ). K. Morris. R.Isaac, K.W.Hughes,
J. W. Morgan, W. W. Davies and Kdward Joseph.
The Young Ministers — In this class we put the young men of
Lime Springs who have entered the ministry. Kevs. K. \V.
Hughes, Daniel Williams. J. T. Evans and T. H. Lewis. It is
somewhat singular, that the su]»erintendents of the American
Bible Society for Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota,
have been chosen from among these, viz : Kev. K. W. Hughes
and Kev. J. T. Evans.
Next to the ministers, in a Welsh community, we must put
the elders of the churches.
ELDKKS.
The elders who have served the Crist(d church are J. J.
Jones, H. II. Morris, W. J. Williams. The father-in-law of the
last mentioned, also named William Williams, lived in the
neighborhood and we believe served for a time as an elder.
Forcston— Hugh Edw.irds, W. T. Lewis, 11. (;. Jones, ().
E. Williams, II. (). Koberts, W. W. Williams, W. R. Williams,
E. T. Jones and J. H. Jones.
Lime Springs — D. K. Jones, E. II. Jones ;ind J. Price.
Somewhat important in a Welsh neighborhood are the sing-
ers, or rather choristers.
sixc.i:i^s.
Four may be mentioned as having lu'en ijuite i>rominent in
the service of song. Kev. J. A. Jones, who le<i the singers in
early times. The great musical genius. D.miel Tlie.n.hilus. W.
x-<i^
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Rev. Richard Isaac.
Rev. Edward Joseph.
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Rev. Robert W. Hughes.
Suporiiileu.k'Ut.Vm.Ticari lilhl,.
Pastor T. H. Lewis.
PROMINENT MINISTENS OF STATE LINE WELSH SETTLEMENTS.
r' ^; -
X
Rev. John A. Jones
Rev John D Williar
Rev. Owen R. Morris.
BEIHTOL, MINN.
Rev. John J. Evans.
LATE OF BRIMTOI,, MINN.
PROMINENT MINISTERS OF STATE LINE WELSH SETTLEMENTS.
THE WKI.Sir IX MIXNi;sOTA. 153
T. Lewis, chorister in Foreston for twenty-rne years, and the
present pastor, Ke\' Kdwanl Joseph. The choristers now, we
believe, are William Thonuis. lor liristo] ; W. \V. Williams, f<,r
Forosttm. and (1. (1. 'J'liomas, lor Lime Springs.
POKTS.
The poets are Rev. J. T. I^vans, J. TL Kol.erts, J. K. Wil-
liams and Noah IIui,'-hes. Twenty years ayro, at least, the poets
seem to have flourished better on the Lristol side than on the
other. As the writer never posed as an adjudicator of poetry he
hardly feels competent to pr(inounce as to the merits of these
poets. lie presumes, however, th.it they are all '^^ood ])OL-ts. K.
H. Jones, of Lime Sprini^'s, also shouhl be mentioned.
POLITICIANS.
It may be said, we believe, that the AVelsh. as a ireiieral
rule, have but little ambition for Tiolitic.al distinction. Whether
the prominence ^-ixen to reliL,'-ion has anything- to do with this
we do nc)t know. Macauley. in his essay on r^Iilton, says :
" The Puritans were men whose minds had derived a peculiar
character from the daily contemplation of superior beings and
external interests. " * * Hence oriL;'inated their con-
tempt for terrestrial distinctions. The Puritan
prostrated himself in the dust before his Maker, but he set his
foot on the neck of his kint,--." And there is some Puritan tone
about the ordinary Welsh character. Some one has said that
" The people of the United States are a nation id' oltice-seekers,
as much as the Enjjflish, according- to Napok-on, were a nation
of shopkeepers." But this cannot be said of the Welsh. Some,
howeyer, of the Welsh of Lime Springs have climbed up a few
rounds on the political ladder. E. R. Morris was a member oi
the Minnesota House of Representatives in ISK'i. W. W. Wil-
liams in that id' Iowa in 1S'I2 and 18'i4. William Theoidiilus
was also a member of the Iowa legislature (me term, and two
terms clerk oi court for Howard county. L. V. Davies has been
auditor of Howard county for one <ir two terms.
TKACIIEKS.
Many of the young i)eople of Lime Springs have "taught
school," and that with success ; but we recall but two that have
reached any prominence that we have space to mention. John
Morris, son of Rev. <). R. Morris, g-railuated in ISSS. at the State
University of Minnesota, with thedegree (d' Lachelorof Mechan-
ical Engineering, having received, it was said, " the highest
154 THK \V}CI.Sn IX MIXN'llSOTA.
m.irkiii_L^"s ever i;nvL'n in th;it dcpartiiu'iit." For sc\'cral _ycrirs j
after this he ser\e(l as •• SuiKTvisor of Alanual Trainini^- in the i
sehools of Minneaimlis." The other is Richard Jones, son of j
Rev. J. A. Jones. IvJiehard -raduated at Iowa Colleere, Grinnell, |
la. Was for a time prineipal of the Des M,.incs Ili-h Sclicul, j
and hiter of the State X(.rnial School at Xurmal, 111. In the |
meantime he had recrived the tle^Tee of A. M. from his Ahua .'
Mater. In ISS'i lie visited Oxfonl, En-., and studied for ;i time
at the fanu)iis old uni\>Tsity of Ileidellier-, (Icrmanv. where he
received the de-Tee of Ph. T). He is now pnd'essor in Swarth-
more Cidleye, I'entisyl vania.
KiCi.ii;iox.
We are inclined to the opinion that Holland, Scotland and
Wales are the most reli-'ious countries in ICurope. Holland com-
munities in America ha\'e their churches and ministers. The
attachment of the Scotch people to the bible, the psalms and the
kirk is well known. Just about as prominent is this subject also
amontr the Welsh. Dr. John Hall, of New York, said once in a
g-reat convention in Ikd last, Ireland : "There is a church in
this alliance which I think should be held up to Christen<lom as
a model in rei,'-;ird to Siuiday school — the Welsh Calvinistic
Methodists. I have often said that that people are born in the
Sunday school. They live in it, they i^rov.- up in it, and thev
die out of it." And ]Jr. Hall was riu'ht. We really believe that
the Welsh have the best Sunday sell. ...Is in the world. Another
fact is worth bein<,^ mentioned. The prevailing type of religion
in these three countries is essentially the same. In Holland it
g-oes by the name of the Reformed church ; in Scotland it is
called Presbyterianism ; in Wales Methodism. According- to sta-
tistics as here seen, about 'in [ler cent of the protestants of Hol-
land belong- to that church. A Scotchman said recently that
twenty of the twenty-four churches in his native city are Pres-
byterian. The church in Wales which has done more bv far to
mould the national ch;iracter than any other duriuLTthe last cen-
tury and a half is the Metho.Hst. At their annual conventions,
there are ten, sometimes twenty, sometimes thirty thousand peo-
ple on the held listeniiiL,'- to the preaching- id" the !;-ospel. The
reader must not, however, put the meaniiiL;- it usually has upon
the -word " Methodists." The great revival which swept over
Wales, and partly over' I'^ng-land, about the middle of the last
century, was Calvanistic, that is, "Presbyterian" in doctrine.
"Methodists" and " Cal vanists," in the letters (^f Walpool and
.,<«'"'
n
- ■ ,^.»..- r.H|-T,..r>,-n^i
Foreston C. M. Church, Foreston, Iowa.
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Bristol Grove C. M. Church, Bristol, Minn.
THE Wia.SH IX MIXXESOTA. 155
the other statesmen I if the (hiy, were synonainnus terms. The
Calvuiiistic preachers were attractinLT immense multitu(U's in
17.V.— Whitfield in Kn-hm.l. K,iwhui,U ami Harris in Wales;
while Wesley eaniKit he said t(i have dene anything'- liefure his
own "conversion," which he inits in the year IT.^.S. Thus it may
be seen that tlie chief descendants of that revival, on the olhJr
side of the ocean, that is. the Methodists are "Calvanists" or
Presbyterians. While the folhiwers . u' Weslev are called " Wes-
leyans." Thit as the f.dlowersof We^l.-y also call themsdves
Methodists, especially in America, the nthers are often siMd<en
of as Ciili-uiiisUr Methodists to distinguish them from the Amer-
ican Methodists, or f.dh.wers of .lohn W.slcv.
From this explanation we think it may be seen how it is
that the Welsh Methodists of America are really Presbyterians.
This denomination is tlu- stmni^'est by far amon^" the Welsh (d"
America. All the churches of the T.inie Sprini^'s settlement be-
long- to it. This denomination thouL:'!! small compared with
the great denominations of the land— sliows, indeed, considering-
all circumstances, as much vitality as any denomination in
America.
A word now about the three churches of Lime Springs.
The churches of Bristol and I<\)rest(m were organized e.arlv in
1807. No church building was erected, however, for six or
seven years after this. This may appear singular, that six
years, after the great inllux of 1S(,7. should pass before the
Welsh of Lime Springs built a church : and yet it is not hard to
explain. The early settlers of Lime Springs differed fnnn the
early settlers of Wisconsin fifty years ag-o. Those came directly
from Wales. They did not C(nne exactly like the Pilgrim Fath-
ers, to find here " freedom to worship (Ind." and vet there was a
resemblance. They came from j)ressure. if not oi)].ression, to a
land where they could get homes ,d' th.nr own. In homes of
their own they would have more leisure to train up their chil-
dren, and more spare moments to worship and serve (iod. With
them, indeed, the religious feelini,'- was very strong. Forty acres
or at most eighty was the amount of land taken uji ; a small
cabin or house ^vas built ann yery soon a place for reli"-ious
meetings, a little building- twenty-four feet square seems to have
been the conventional size of many of the first Welsh churclies
in Wisconsin. Lut the Welsh of Lime Springs, with few ex-
ceptions, came not directly from Wales, but from Wisconsin and
eastern states. They had been s..niewhat Americanized. They
were coming to "better their circumstances," wanteil lar^.-er
156 THE WKLSIt IN MIXXESOTA.
farms, hinl aiTniiircil iiiDfc or less taste for innnev-niakinL;'. The
relief idus feeling- was less intense than \\-ith the •' eini^'-rants "
from Wales to "Wisconsin twenty years before. Yet we wouhl
not convey the idea that the settlers of I^ir.ie Spring's were neg-
lectful of divine services — far from it. The teams were busy in
the fields six da3-s in the week, but on Sunday morning- they
would be seen on the road taking- the family to service and sun-
day school. Schoolhouses were larg-e and commodius. S(^ six
years went by — seventeen from the time of the first settler — be-
fore a church was erectetl. I!ut at last, in 1873, the peo])le of
Bristol arose and built a church, a tine commodious building-
worth between S2,(>0O and 62,500. And the Foreston people,
not willing to be behind, built the next year, a church ."2x52
feet, one of the largest Welsh country churches in .Vmerica.
During^ those pros]>erous years two new churches were org-an-
ized. One northwest of Lime Spring-s, called Proscairon, after
an old church in Wisconsin ; the other southwest of Lime
Spring-s. Some man. with a genius for g-iving names, called that
reg-ion of country " Canaan's Land," a name by which it was
known for many years. It is now known by the more modern,
and likely more appropriate name of "' Saratoga Prairie." The
church org-anizeil there is now in a weak condition ; the other
church, on account of removals, was disbanded some years a^o.
There now remains for us to say a word about the Welsh
church in the town of Lime vSpring-s. The church and church
building- there have had a singular history. Welsh meetings
were held in the tcnvn of T^ime Spring-s for the first time in the
year 1S7(). During that summer a Welshman, T. W. Hugfhes,
lately from Chicago, was elected superintendent of the (Eng^-
lish) I'resbyterian Sunday school. It is probable that this had
soniethinif to do with the formation of a Welsh class in that
school, October 27th of that year. This was the beg-inning-.
January 15, 1S77, the first AVelsh sermon was preached in the
town by Kev. K. Isaac. June 14, 1S77, a church of fourteen
members was org-ani/;ed. Yet, the number of Welsh in the town
and vicinity was small, the church g'-rew but very slowly.
Twelve years went by, sing-ular as this may seem, before elders
or deacons were elected. During- the summer of IS'i], the pres-
ent pastor, Kev. L. Joseph, came to take past(_>ral care of the
Welsh churches. ^Vnd what was of great imiiortance to Lime
Sprin<|fs, he made his residence in the town instead of in the
country, as f<irmer ministers had done. The number of Welsh
families had increased somewhat by this time, and some beg-an
THU WKL.Sir IN MINXnsOTA.
157
to ayitatc the sulijcct of church huildini;. The pastor, it is said,
made a stirring- speech on tlie subject <m Thanks^-iviri-;- dav.
The little Free .Methodist church, on tlie corner, was sold about
this time: a committee was appointed to see about securini,-- it,
but their jud!:,'-ment favored puttinir their money into a new-
house. A subscription list was started without delav. l':n-
courag-ement and help were received fnnri Bristol and Foreston.
C. n. church, of Lime Springs, Iowa.
Uy Auy-ust. 1S'i2, a beautiful church, worth about S2,3tti) was
completed and ready for dedication. The services of Kev. C.
Ellis, a popular Welsh minister of Liverp.>ol, EnL;-land. and those
of Rev. K. W. Ilug-hes, Orinnell, Iowa, were secured b>r the
Sunilav of Dedication. On Thursdav the church was cleaned,
the contractor locked the buildin-- .about i. j). m., and was to
meet the trust, es at '> o'cbick the next day to n:-ceive his pay
and deliver the kevs. Ihit ab,,ut b):.'() tliat niirht the people of
f/ime Spriiii^s were .irouse<l bv the crv oi lire, and s(„m it was
158 THE WICI.SII IN i\tIX.\I':SOTA.
found that the huildiiii;' that was burning;- was the now Welsh
church ! In hall' an hour all that was left of the ?2,.>U0 church
was a pile of ashes. \'er_v fortunately, however, the huihliuL;-
was insured to the amount of rl.Son in the ILune Insurance Com-
pany of New Yorh. And to the credit of this company he it
said, nearly the wlude amount was juiid the next day. The
trustees had Sl.ldii on hand after ])ayinL;- all creditors. Suiulay
came, and the ministers exjiected came. They encoura<,''ed the
people to undertake immediately ihe huildmu- of another church.
The preachinir during- the day was ^-o,,,!, and when the suhject
of rebuilding: was brouijht up, much enthusiasm was manifested.
The IJristid and I'^oreston farmers had come in in y,,()dly num-
bers, and when money f<ir a new church was called for, many
were doubliuL;- the subscription they had piedj^'ed before, lly
Sunday nii^ht the trustees had .m hand about S2,0(i(» for another
church. The new church, much more ommodious and belter
than the other, costiuLT about S2, (,n(i. was dedicated. i>ractically
free from debt, Feb. 1, IS'),^. How the lire oriu'inated has never
been found out, and " the matter will probably remain a mys-
tery until the day of pi.l-inent, when all secrets shall be re-
vealed." If the devil intended to kill the little Welsh Presby-
terian church of Lime Sprin^-s by burnini;- up the buildinL,'-, he
at this time certainlv reckoned without his host. The present
buildini;- is more elei,'-ant and more comfortable than the former.
Welsh families are constantly moxiuL;- into town, and the mem-
bership is i^'-rowiuL;'.
We said at the beyinnini;-, that I'oreston is the center of the
Welsh community. So it is in location, but as far as prominence
and influence are concerned, the " center of Lrravity "' has been
of late years moving- towanl the town ni Lime Sprini^'s.
Of the future (d' this Welsh settlement we dare not speak.
The Welsh lani^uaye is used about as extensively as it was a
quarter of a century ag-o. Yet the older people, natives of Wales,
are dyini^- ; and their places taken by the youuLT people, natives
of America. Thou-di the same lang-uai^e is used by them it is
less pure. In the course of time, juili,''inLr from the history of
Welsh settlements in the east, the Welsh here will -dve place to
the hini,'-ua,i;-e of the land ; and at some ]>eriod, in the future, the
" lani;-uaL;-e of Cambria" will not be livini,'-, even '• in soul;'." It
is to be hoi>ed, however, that the churches will be kept ui>, and
tliat the pur^'. s riptural reliL;-ion, introduceil by the pioneers,
will hold its --round from .iL;-e to a-e and llouri-^h from venera-
tion to uener.ilion.
BIOGRAPHIES.
IJAXTKK, .JOHN THOMAS -SiKiil his curly life in Ikin-
'^■OT, Wis., ;iml iLttcinkd Tli-ii SLiiool at West Salem, where he
received his preparutiDii for e-ollen'c. He next enlereil Kipon
- colleye, at Ripon, Wis., as a freshman, in ISSl, and completed
his junior year there. There were at Kipon competitive j^ri/.es
f(_)r dccla!natit)ns in freshman year, essays in sojihomore year,
and tirations in junior year; and Kaxter won first prize in all
three. Durini,'- freshman year he was elected one of the edi-
tors of the college paper, and he was connected with it in some
capacity durini^- his whole stay at Kipon. Durin<^ his junior
year he represented Kipon in the Wisc(jnsin State Oratorical
contest and succeeded in taking;- first honors. Ct)nse([uejitly
he represented Wisconsin in the Inter-State ( )ratorical contest
held at Iowa Citv, Iowa, in the spriny of 1SS4, anil took third
place amony ei;j;-hteeii competitors. Throu^diout his stay at
Kipon he was greatly handicapped by impecuniosily and earned
his expenses as a messenger in the employ of the American
Express company, havini,-- a shoit "run" which took him away
from Ripon in the evening;- and l)roui;"ht him hack early in the
morning-. At the end oi his third year, not feeling- prejiared
to graduate, he decided to droj) out tor a year and then finish
his course at Williams college, towards which he had always
looked with yearninL;-. lie entered the junior class at Wil-
liams in the fall of 1>S.=,. where he became a member of the
Delta Upsiloil fraternity. lie was elected an editor of the
Literary Monthly, and received the first juni(,ir ••Moonlight"
declamation jiri/.e. In senior year, as a representative of the
Technian society he assisted in defeatiiiL;- llie Logans in the
annual joint del'ale. receiving one of the six (Iraves ])rives for
essay and the \'an \'ecliten iiri:'.e, and was library orator on
class day. 'Pile N'ail X'ecliteii pri/.e i-> a .--Tii.oo easli award,
made at the end of the senior year, b\ v..te of the facultv ami
lf')() THK WIJI.SII IN MINXICSOTA
stiulents of Williams C(i11cl;-c. to that mcnihor of the iiTailu-
ating- class wlm, in their opinion, has attained the ij-reatist
cfticienev in the art of exteniiioranemis sjicakinj;-. A fter grad-
uation in 1SS7, he became clerk in a law (iftice in .Minneajiolis,
Minn., and was admitted to the bar in Iss't, and since then
has practiced law in that city. lie is secretary nf the Minne-
apolis IJar association, antl has read a paper before the Min-
nesota Cnns^'-rei^-ational club on "(."liristian Socialism." Mr.
Baxter was married in October, IS'U , to (lertrude Hooker,
daUL,'-hter of William Hooker n( Minneapolis.
IJLOSSO.M, .MUS. .VLICr: - Dau-hier of (Griffith (). an.l
Sarah C. Williams, and ■^Tanddau-hter of the well known
Rev. Daniel T. Davis, of Waukesha and La Crosse, was born
at La Crosse, Wis. Soon aftiT her birth her jiarents remo\ed
" to Mankato Minn. At a verv early a^v she showed remark-
able talent in music, appearing- in concerts when but two and
a half years old. Keuiovini;- to Minneapolis with her parents,
while still a yount^ -S'l^h ^he there pursued her studies ardently
and with success, only hamlicapped by her health and strent^th,
not being- etfual to her ambition. She was married in 1SS4 to
Geo. F. Dlossom and is ihe mother of two Ijeautiful children.
a g-irl and boy. Untler the persona! instruction of the cele-
brated William Courtney, of New York, a Welshman formerly
from London, her phenomenal \-oice has been developed to a
hig-h degree of perfection, the full, deep, rich, contralto (lual-
ity being- especi;illy admired. In church and concert work
she has hardly a rival in the northwest, and as a teacher she
is very successful, being- at present teacher of the voice at the
Northwestern Conservatory of Music, Minneapolis. She is
an earnest, enthusiastic student and is never satished with
present success, but continually stri\ing- after a hig'-her ideal.
IJLYTIIIN, ('. J. —Was born in 1S5S at Prestatyn. Flintshire,
North Wales. His parents came to America in April. ISbS.
residing- a short time in St. Joseph. Mo., thence removing- to
near Cambria, Wis. They then moveil to Iowa, locating- on a
farm about four miles from WiUiamslmrg-. Young- Llythin
left home when about nineteen years old to attend school at
Iowa City, Iowa ; coming-- to Minneapolis in lss4. ICntered
the employ of 1). K. Ikirber .S: Son in IS'i] .i^ b.iokkeeper and
now holds the resjionsible position of manager with the same
firm.
IJOW !■:>", l':\'.\N--r.orn Kebruarv .^^ 1S21. at Uank Klosfelen,
Llangvndeiren Carmarthenshire, W.iles. Fmig-raled to idos-
,;._-:^
;^>
~rt It^^
-^J
■.•--
>:
^•^^
A -
\
' X,.
/
Hon. T. N. Bowen.
Hon. Owen nor
1
4 X.
-A
^/A
Hon. J. n. Jones.
EEDWllOD FALLS, MINX,
Hon. Job Lloyd.
WELSHMEN, WHO HAVE WON LEGISLATIVE HONORS.
THE WKLSII IN MINNHSOTA. 161
burg-h, P:i., in 1840. In 1S47 he marricil Miss Jane Kdwards,
at Charleston, Pa. Moved to Nicollet countv, Minn., reach-
in},'- the old townsite of Eureka on October. 27tli, 1S55.
Within a few days he located on a claim about a mile west of
this then I)romisi^,^■ city. In the summer of 1S(,5 he purchased
and move<l to the farm still owned by the family, in the pres-
ent town of Cambria, IJlue Kartli county. In 1S(.7 he was
elected sheriff of Blue Karth county. lie was a man of much
natural ability and force of character. Impulsive at times,
almost to a fault, yet of a very kindly and g-enorous disjiosi-
tion and the memory of his warm friendship still lini^ers in
the b(wom of many an old settler. He died January ;.. 1S71,
Icavinj,-- him survivin<r, his wife and six children, namely:
Miss Mary J. Howen, for years a most successful teacher in a
- number of the llij^-h schools of the state, and now editor of
the Idaho Springs News, at Idaho Springs, Col.; Thos. K.
Bowcn, (see below ); .Mrs. Margaret Koberts, of Denver, Colo-
rado, formerly a very efticient teacher in our jiublic schools;
John E. Uowen, merchant at Courtland, Minn. ; David K.
Bowen, of Cambria, Minn., and Miss Esther Dowen, a verv
successful teacher in the Wisconsin and ^Minnesota schools.
UOWEN, 3JKS. ,IANE— Widow of Evan Bowcn, was born at
Llan On, Bryn Maen, Carmarthenshire, Wales, May 21, lS2n.
Her father's name was David Edwards, who in 1S41 emigrated
with his family to Charleston, Pa. Wise, careful and affec-
tionate ; she has ever been much loved by her children and
acquaintances. She still resides on the old homestead in
Cambria.
r.OWEN, TIIOS. E.— Journalist, son of Evan and Jane
Bowen, was born October 13, 1849, at Blossburgh, Pa., and
came to Minnesota in 1855 with his parents. Began his edu-
cation in the country schools; then at the age of sixteen went
to the High school at Mankato and afterwards to the State
Normal of the same city. He taught school for a few vears,
and then began his career as a journalist at Sleepy Eye, Minn.,
where, in February, 1S7'», he founded and for a number of
years published the Sleepy Eye Herald. November 1, 1877,
he was united in marria-e to Miss iMuma E. White. In 188(.
he waselected state senator from Brown county. About 18')() he
removed to Duluth where he edited the Daily News for a^ few
years. Since that time he has had editorial charge of a num-
ber of papers in Duluth and vicinity. He is an able and readv
writer and a fearless defender of his convictions.
162 THK WKL.SH IN MINNKSOTA.
IJOWEX, DAMKI. T Jiorn m Xicullot, Minn., Fcl.ruary
17, 1802. S.jn of William T. and C.wcnddlcn lH)\vcn, who caiuo
t(_) Nicolle't Irnm SpriiiL;- (rrccn. Wis., in .Tunc, 1S5'». The
father was a nati\c ot Ivlany-vndcirun Carniarthcnsliire, Waks,
and the mother of Cardiganshire. They were married at
Blossburgh, Pa., and moved to Spring- Green in October, 1S55.
In 1864 moved from Nicollet to Judson, where the father died
October 187n. Daniel received a jfootl common school educa-
tion. Married Sarah, dau^'-hter of ]'"van Davis, Judsoii, in
1886. She died in 18SS. Married ayain in ISMU, Mrs. IJar-
bara Blake, daug-hter of Adam Menton, of LeSueur, Minn.
In 1890 he was appointed deputy sheriff of Blue Earth County
by W. J. Clynn. In 1S'I4 he was elected sheriff by a large
majority on the Kepublican ticket.
r>-U3IF<)KI), KICIIAKI) IJ.— Born at Mount Pleasant, Ka-
cinc County, Wis., Octoljer 26, 1856. His parents were David
and Eleanor Buml'ord. The mother died in May, I860. Rich-
ard was educated at the district school of his native place an<l
at the Kacine High School. Came to Blue Earth County in
March, 187f), where he remained teaching country schools for
two years. He then removed to the Wel^li settlement in Lyon
County, and in 1SS2 was elected reg-ister of deeds of that
county, which office he held for six years. Since that time he
has been engaged with great success in the real estate, loan
and insurance business at Marshall, >.Iinn. Married ]\Hss
Lucy Lewis, of Wyoming County, X. Y., in June, isSd.
CJlESmin':, ISAAC— Bom at Caernedde, about four miles
west of Oswestry, Shropshire, England, in 1830. Offa's
Dyke passed through his father's farm. He emig-rated to Ka-
cine, Wis., in 1846. About 18(,0, at Kacine, Wis., he married
Miss Ellen Davies, who was a native of Denbighshire, Wales.
For two or three years during the w.ir he was emj>loyed in the
Department of the Interi(.r at Washington. He then held the
position of deputy revenue collector at Milw.iukee for about a
year. In 18(.(. he removed to Mankato, Minn., where he
AVorKcd one year in the employ of Daac Marks. He then
formed a co-partnership with Willi. nil Jones, as Cheshire iv
Jones, in g^eneral merchandise. The lirm dissolved in 1S7S.
and Mr. Clieshire was employed in the auditor's office of Blue
Earth County, and ior a few years prior to his death was dep-
uty county auditor. He had a very remarkable talent as a
bookkeeper, being one oi the l)est accountants Blue Ivirth
County ever had. He was also a line sin^-er .ind .a member of
THE WELSH IN MINNlCStJTA. U>3
the famous Cambrian .]uartL-ttc, ol" which Pnif. John P. Jones,
of Chica.i^-o ; W. W. Davis, of South Ilond, and K. J. Thomas,
kite of Mankato, were the other nienibers. He was a patron
and ardent a(huirer of tlie I'lii-irdil fod and of all musical and
literary societies. lie died suddenly of heart disease May
21st, 1SS2. Miss Mary 11 Cheshire, of Cincinnati, (.)., is now
his only surviving' child.
DACKINS, 1).\V!I)— i;<.rn Auirnst '), IS.^.4. at Llanidloes,
Montgomeryshire, Wales. Son nf David and Kli/.aheth Dack-
ins of Lower (ireeii Llanidloes. September IS.^1 cmii^'-rated
with parents to Ltica, N. Y., where they lived two years;
thence for one vear to Columbus, ()., thence for a short time
to Memphis, Tenn., and St. Louis, M,.., thence in Au-ust,
1S55, to St. I'aul, Minn., and from there in A]>ril, 1S.=.(., to
Judson, Minn., where he, his lather and l)rotlier, ICdward. lo-
cated on a farm. November ISdd married ICileil, dau^diter of
Edward and Jane Edwards, then of llutternut Valley. Aul;--
ust ISth, lSi>2, enlisted in Company E, Ninth Minnesota, and
was with his company until the battle of Cuntown, Miss., but
in the retreat from that disastrous campaii^-n he was separated
from his regiment and once taken prisoner, but throu^Ji his
shrewdness escaped, and after days (d' wandering- and untold
hardshijis reached the Lnion lines. His health, however, was
badly shattered so that he was unal)le thereafter to rejoin his
company. In 1S74 he removed to Mankato and followed the
occupation of carriag-e [lainter. lie has always taken a lively
interest in politics, lieini,'- one of the very few Welsh Demo-
crats. Never seeking an ollice himself, he has always taken
pleasure in helping those he deemed worthy, without regfard
to party. His wile died May 2'nli. ISStl. Their children
are William, John, ICdward and Jennie.
DANIEL, K. I']. -Lorn in LlangeitlK^. South Wales, May ISth,
1844. Parents, Evan and Mary Daniel. Emigrated with par-
ents to Kacine, Wis., ls4S. Mother died in 1S5(I. Lived on
farm with grandparents, Roderick and Catherine Evans, for
si.\ years, then worlced for other farmers ; afterwards went to Ka-
cine and learned the blacksmith tr.ade. ICnlisted in Company
" F," Twenty-second Keginunt. Wiscousin \'olunteer Infan-
try August 'ith, 1S(.2, and served until en<l of the war. Mus-
tered out at Washington, D. C, June 12th. 1S(,S. Engaged in
real est.ate and insurance sonu after close of war. Married
Mary Iv Lewis, Lerlin, Wis.. June 271h, 1S(,7. and lived
in ()shkosli. Wis.. U^x twentv-one vears. Mr. an.l Mrs. Dan-
s, mi)
1 t(
Mimic
epulis
Jccftn
;o
■ Is
. 1SS7.
^[r.
f Ucrl
n
Wi
s., June
nth.
the
P;
st
fifteen
Ye;irs
164 TilE WKLSH IN ttUNNl
iel, three sons and two (leLui,''hti.
in May, 1SS7. Mrs. Daniel died
Daniel married Jeanette ^I. Jones,
1890. He is now and has fo
. been eng-ayed in the business of adjuster j.if fire insurance
losses. He is interested in music and has taken prizes as a s(j-
loist and C(mductt>r in several musical conventit)ns, and has
served as adjudicator of music at the Minneapolis ICi^tcddlod.
DANIKL, T." It.— The subject of this sketch was born October
7th, 1846, at Llang-eitho, Cardig-anshire, South Wales. In
1848 he came with his parents, Evan and Mary Daniel, to Ra-
cine, Wis., and spent several years of his boyhood with his
grandfather, Roderick Evans, at :\[ount Pleasant. When
eighteen \-ears old he went to Fox Lake, Wis., where he lived
for fifteen vears and was eUi^'-aLT^.j in the mercantile business.
In 186') he married Mary I. Trimble, and ten years later went
to Oshkosh, Wis., where he remained for two vears, enL;"ay;'ed
in the insurance business. In March, l->2, he took a travel-
ing position with the North IJrirish and Mercantile Insurance
Company, and the fcdlowing year moved to Minneapolis .and
was given the state atrency for Minnesota and North and
South Dakota for the same company, and is still in tlie em-
ployment of the companv. From IS^'i to lsii4 lie had chari^'e
of the company's office at Minneapolis, also the company's
local business. Mr. Daniel takes i^-reat interest in music, and
wasa member of the duet which secured the prize at the Ka-
cine Eiitcddfod in 1SS2. He also belonirs t.i the Mascmic fra-
ternity.
DAA'IS, C'lIAKLKS E.— Horn in ^^.^tlromeryshire, Wales.
in 1844. Emigrated to Le Sueur, Minnesota, in 1S(,.^, .and
thence to Lake Crystal in 1S(,'», where lie en^-aged in the gen-
eral mercantile business. He was very popular and successful
and soon became the leading merchant of that town. He also
formed a partnership with W. P. Marstim and P. A. Larson
in the banking- business there, umler the firm name of Mars-
ton, Larson & Davis. In 1.SV2 he sold out his mercantile Inisi-
noss and removed to Minneapolis to engage in the grain com-
mission business, forming a partnership with K. 1). Hubbard
and Geo. M. Palmer, under the firm name of Davis, Hubbard
& Palmer. Married Miss Sylvia (.)., ilaugliler of Thomas
Kaney, of LeSueur.
DAVIS, HON. crsn^IAN Ki:i, I, ()(;<; Senat.r, born
June K.th, is:.s, at Henderson, N. Y., of WeMi ancestrv, who
.^•^-''
\
^ ^
\,
' ' ^
f
;>■>__
J^ *
>^y
■\
Hon. Cushman K. Davis,
had ofig-inally conic tr
mi South AVa
Ilis parents removed t(
Waukesha. W
IS^S. His father. Ilonit
lo N. Davis, w;
Waukeslia county for sc
veral terms ; -w
Rock county, Wis., two
teriiis. and \va
TIIK WKL.SH IN MI.NXESOTA. 165
^ to Massachusetts.
.. about September,
count}- treasurer of
■was state senator from
captain in a Wis-
consin reg-inient during,'- the civil war. He is now S4 and his es-
timable wife is SI years of .-i^-e. Hoth are still vin^orous in mind
and body and reside at St. I'aul, Minn. Their disting-uislied
son, Cushman K., w.is educale<l at Carndl colle!,>-e of that town
and yraduated fmm Michii,>-an University in 1S57. Read law
with Governor Randall. ;ind was admitted to practive in IS.^0
at Waukesha. Enlisted in the Twenty-Eiirhth Wisconsin Vol-
unteers in lS(i2 and was made First Lieutenant of Companv
15 and sixm promoted Assistant Adjutant (General on the staff
. of Gen. Willis A. Gorman, but after two years service was
obliged to resiijfn his commissirm cm account of ill health
caused by an attack of typhoid fever. In 18()5 he settled in
St. Paul and resumed the practice of his profession in partner-
ship with Gen. (Gorman. In 1S(,(, he was elected to the Min-
nesota le,i,'-islature and from lS(i7 until 1S7.^ w:is United States
district attorney for Minnesota, and in the fall of the latter
year was chosen g-overnor of the state. He served with jjreat
acceptance to the ])eople. but declined a renomination. lie
ag-ain resumed the practice of his profession and soon won the
deserved reputation of being- one of the best lawyers in the
state. In ISSO he married Miss Anna M. Ag-new, of St. Paul,
January IS, 1SS7, he was chosen United States senator and re-
elected in IS').". His vast erudition, esjiecially in jurispru-
dence and modern foreign lang-uages. make him an invaluable
member of the prominent Senate committees, and his g-reat
ability as an orator, lawyer and statesman put him in the fore-
most rank of the present great men of our nation, and he is
prominently mentioned for the presidency.
DAVJKS, CIIAHI.HS W.— Engraver, born at Whitesboro,
N. Y., June 21, 1S54. Only son of David and Sarah (Jones)
Davies. The father was a carpenter and builder and came to
Central New York from Wales, in 1S2.", when six years old.
The mother was born in New York. IJoth were active mem-
bers of the Welsh Congregational church. Charles having
finished his public school education, took a course of elective
studies at Whitestown Seminary until twenty-one years old,
when he went to Utica and started to learn the jewelers' trade,
but having- a natural genius for engraving he soon ;ic(iuired a
1()(> TIIIC WELSH IN .MIXNKSOTA.
thoniut,--]! kn(i\vlcdi;-c of thi^ :irt iiiKkr an cnu'ravcr of that city,
and formed a C(_>-i)artncrshi]> with hi-, iiistrvulor, which lasted
two years. lie then started in the husiiie-s alone at Syracuse,
wliere he had the niisiortune to lose all his jiroperty by tire.
After stopping- a short time at Clrand Ka]>ids, .Mich., he came
to Minnoapidis, Minn., and without any capital save an in-
domitable will, he^^an business, with a store box for a table,
as the pioneer eni^-raver of Minneapolis. Ilis success has been
very yroat, and his conimodious business place ;it (>l(t Nicollet
avenue, is in marki.'d contrast with his small lieifinnini,'"- In
1SS5 he married Miss Clara S. (let/., of Deleware, () , an estim-
able Christian lady. 'IMiey have two children, Marion atnl
Clifford.
DAVIKS, nANIlCI.T.— r,orn October l.^th. 1S;52, at a farm
called Erynawen, near New (Juay. Cardiiranshire, South
Wales. He came to the United States from Khymny, Mon-
mouthshire, in the summer id' ISi.'i. Worked in the coal mines
of Pennsylvania and <)hio for about three years and then
moved to the silver mines (d' Colorado. In the year 1S7.S he
left Montezuma, Col.. b)r Dodj^-eville. Wis., on a visit to his
uncle, the Rev. J. 1). Davies, where he met Miss Sarah, dau<;-h-
tcr of Robert K. Williams, n{ Dod^r,.ville, and they were mar-
ried January, 1S7'». then removed to Kokomo, Col., where
they spent three years. In 1SS2 he came to Minneapolis,
and eng-af,^ed in the meat business. In ISSs" he was ap-
pointed by the city council city meat inspector, which office he
filled for about four years. He was elected deacon of the
Welsh church of Minneajiolis in 1SS'» and has continued zeal-
ous and faithful to his trust, .and one of th.e pillars of the so-
ciety, lie has served as treasurer of his church for many
years, and holds that [losition at the i^resent time. His fam-
ily consists (d' four lioys. namely, Kddie. Robbie, Albert and
Wynne.
DAVIICS, 1{I':V. D.WID— Horn at Tir-wyn, IJandysilio-
nfoyo, Cardi|,>-anshire, Wales. July 12, ITS'i. He was a son of
Evan and Elizabeth Davies, and br<.ther of Rev. Samuel
Davis and I'Jev. Jenkin Davies. the latter bein^- a very noted
C. M. minister. His father w.as ;l jirominent elder <A the C.
M. church, of Pensarn, located on his farm. The family tra- "
dition is that the late ilistin^-uished Dr. Samuel D.ivies. pres-
ident of Princeton colloi;-e, was .a member of the same Davies
family. The subject (d' our sketch aNo prepared himself b>r
THE WKLSH IN MINNESOTA. 167
the ministry, tlioui,'-h his cihicatiimal :ulv;intai;-cs wore few.
He beg-an prcaehinuT '•'■^ Pi'iisarii church in 1S14. In 1S24 he
married Mary, ilauniiter (if l-2van Jenkins, of Ffvnon IJerw,
and about IS.^O built him a new residence <.)n a i>art of the
Tir^'-wyn estate and called it Brynawen. In 1S37 he emi-
grated to LJloomlield township, Jackson county, (). There he
preached to the Welsh settlers — one preaching- station being-
near his own home, which stood on the old turnpike road,
between Gallipolis and Chillicothe, ten miles east of Jackson
Court House ; the other station was seven miles awav at the
house of Isaac Evans, in Gallia countv. lioth of these congre-
g-ations were soon organized into churches, with houses of
worship and nourishing Sun(hiy scliools. lie was ordained to
the ministry in 1S4(). In America his ministerial connection
(until his death) was with the Presbyterian church, but he
ministered mostly to Congreiration.-il churches. IJeing a
strong- Abolitionist he became ;t member of the Underg-round
railroad. In May, IS.Sh, he removed with his family
to Blue Earth county, Minn., locating (m a farm in the west-
ern end of the present town of Cambria. During lS5b-7 and
S he preached for tjie Calvinistic Methodist churches of Blue
Earth and Le Sueur counties, being- the first regular preacher
in Horeb church. In 1S5') he joined the Congregational church
and with Kev. Jenkin Jenkins and Henry Ilug-hes, beg-an (in
the fall of that year) a ]>reaching service in the vicinity of
Horeb church. Here, at the house of Henry Hughes, he or-
g-ani/icd a Congregational church on March 11, 1S6(>. Kev.
Samuel Jones, of La Crosse, Wis., then visiting- the settle-
ment, assisting. Dr. Davies (as he was g-enerall}- called from
his having studietl medicine ) continued to preach to this
church, alternately with Henry Hughes, until his death,
which occurred April 17, 1S(,1. His saintly wife followed him
October 6, of the same year. Dr. Davies was a great reader,
a close thinker and a sound reasoner. A man of strong- con-
victions and (.)f unswerving- loy;ilty to his principles. A f;ist
friend of all that was right ami a firm foe to all that w.is
wrong-. He left surviving him live children: Kev. I'^van L.
Davies, M. A., of Lake Forest. 111.; Kev. I'eter S. Davies, I'h.
D., of Mandan, North Dak.ita; David S. Davies, l:ite of C..t-
tonwood. Brown county, Minn.. John S. Davies, of C'ambri;i,
Minn., ami the late Mrs. Marv S. Davies, wile of 'IMios. V.
Davies, who .lied March .^, 1S71, leaving her surviving one
daughter, Marv, wife of John F. Dackius, of Mankato.
1<JS TIIK WKI.SII IN IMINNI-.SOTA.
DAVIKS, l>AVII> .1.— r.nrn la Llan-ristinlus. An-lesoa,
Wales, Marcli olsl, 1S14. Oldest son of J..hii and t'athariiie
Davies, who w^tc poor liiU i>ious piMtplo and ^-axc their voihil;-
son the rieli lei^-aev of a relii^'ioiis training;-. In early life lie
worked on farms and read all the books he could lind. At this
time a parson of the ICiiirlish ehiirch named Isaae Jones took
much interest in the studious youth and uri^'ed him to join the
Enfflish church and studv for the ministrv. hut he was too
deeply rooted in the Calvinistic Metho(li-.t faith to comi)ly
with the parson's conditions. About lS4(i he went to work in
the quarries of Llaiiberis. and there when about twenty-se\en
years old lie united with the c!. M. Church of Cefnywaen. lie
spent some tinn^ at Merthyr Tydlil, but in Auy:ust. 1S44. beint^-
thrown out of work- with MH) others, he enii^-rated to America
and stayed for some time near Kacine. Wis., then at IJeloit for
three years, and then locateil on a farm in I'roscairon, Wis.
April 22nd, 1.S4S, he married (Iwen, dauL:hter of the late Ilutrh
Roberts, and sister of the late T. 11. K'oberts, and of the late
Mary Williams, wife of the late Kev. J. 1). Williams. Mr.
and Mrs. Davies had always lonL;vd for the missicmary held,
and a door was opened for them in the call of the I'resbyterian
Board for teachers for the Indians of Nebraska. Leavinir
their farm in the spring; of 1S5,^ they crossed the wild country
to their held of labor amont,'- these Indians. There they
toiled faithfully and efficiently until the summer of iSf.ii,
when they returned to I'roscainm. In the summer of 1S(,1,
they removed to Beaver Township. Filmore County, Minn.,
where they located on a farm. Mr. Davies died September 22,
18')1, leavin.sf surviving: his saintly wife :ind three children,
Ilu^rh, Walter and Claudia i now widow of the late William II.
Thomas). Mr. Davies was a man cd' stroni,'- intellectual
grasp, who by wide readin^r and careful study had become
well posted in scriptural and secular knowledi^e. He was also
possessed of a most excellent Christian spirit, which g-reatl\'
endeared him to all that Icnew him. i.;. u .r,,s,-,s.
DAVIS, l).\ VII> .F.— i:,,rn at Llanddewibreli. Cardij^ranshire,
Wales, December 11, 1S14. Son of Thomas and Jane Davis,
Penstair. He was a carpenter bv trade. Married Hannah,
dau'jfhter of David Jones, an innkeeper of LlaiiLreitho, Decem-
ber, 1S40. ICmi^-rateil to America in the summer of IS.^7 and
settled lirst inCuyahou'a I'\ills. l'ort,iL;-e (,'otint v, ( ). About 1S44
he boun-ht a sawmill in l^.linbiir^- T.>wnsl,ii,. which he oper-
ated verv successfully for eleven vears. In Julv, ISS.^, in com-
Tine WKI.SH IN MIXXKSOTA. 169
pany witli Oavid .1. Williams, ho visitod the new Welsh set-
tlement (if Blue ICarth (."nimty and located a claim in section
ir. of Cambria. t(i which he removed with his family the fol-
lowing NDvemher. His wife died in ( >ctolier, 1S5'). He was
county commissioner of IJlue ICartli County in lS(>2-o, and has
held a number of town and school oftices. Durint,'- the terrible
Sioux massacre of 1S(,2 his eii,^hten-year-old son. Thomas, was
killed on the mi>rninu- of September Inth within a few rods of
the house, and Mr. Davi^ and his other children, as they lied,
were in view of the sava-es. ^ir. Davis is a man of strict in-
tcf^jrity and much determination. He has always bet.'n a <,'-reat
reader and is well posli.<l in ])ublic aiYairs. His children are
Ann, wifeof J<din R. Williams, of Cambria: Daxid J.. Han-
nah, Marv. wife of John IJoyd. ol Tracy; Jane, wife cd" David
E. Thomas, ui l.ak-e Crystal ; Jlerbert. Mar^-'aret ami Cath-
erine.
DAVIKS, D.W'M) i'.— Horn at Cwm May Hush. Llanrhystyd,
Cardi-ranshire, Wales, in 181 1. Married Miss J.ane Davies. of
Llanbad.arn F.ach. same shirt'. Kmi'_rr,ited to Jackson county,
Ohio, in Au^rust. IS.^s. C.ame :is one of six, sent by a colony
of Welsh people oi Jackscm, to examine the Welsh settlements
of Blue Karth county in (lctol)er. 1--.-3. ami on May loth. 1S.3(,.
landed with his family at South Heml. locatintr "n claims in
the present town of Cambria about the 7th of June folhnvin;,'-.
Horcl) church was oru-.anized at his house, and he was one of
the charter members and first de:icr>ns. He was not only one
of the prime movers in its org;anization. but also in the erec-
tion of its house of worship and the maintenance of its servi-
ces for years. In 1S57 he erected a sm.ill steam saw and g^rist
mill on his farm in the f^ittle t.'ottonwood valley. He and his
sons took an active part in the defense of the frontier durini^
the Indian outbreaks of 1S57 and isi,2. In 1S(>5 he removed
to South Hend and opened a sjoneral merchandise store which
he still conducts with his son. David 1>. Davis. Jr. His wife
died January .3, 1S')2. Their sur\'ivintr children are: Daniel
P. Davis, of C:imbria: John 1'. Diivi-.. .-f Tracy; Mary, wife of
James Moruran, of Custer, Lyon countv ; David P. Davis, Jr.;
Ebcn 1\ Davis, who was wounded bv the Indians in lSf,2 and
now lives at Cambria, and I'^van P. D;ivis. merchimt on the
Pacific coast. Two of their children are dece;ised: Mar--:i-
ret, first wife of Wm. l'Mw;irds. of l";imbri:i, ;ind Henry P.,
late of WorthiiiLrton, Minn.
170 THE WKI.SH IX JIIXXI'SOTA.
DA VIES, DA \'I 1) S.- -Kl,Ust son ..f the late Kcv. David Dav-
ies, Cambria. Minn., hdrn near New (Ju.ay. CardiLT^inshirc.
Wales, in 1S2'I. l^niiuruted with his parents to Jackson (."dunty,
O., where he received ;i uood eoninion school education, mar-
ried in the sprini^- of IS.^i,, Miss Kachel Kvans, and removed
with the Jackson colony to Minnesota in May of this year, and
soon l()c;ited on a farm in section 13 (d' Cottonwood, I'.rown
County, whereon the family still reside, fie held a numbered
offices in his town and w.as a leadinir elder of the Ilorel) C. M.
church for over twenty-live years, fie was a g-reat reader and
very fond of Diblic-il suidy in which he was well posteil. His
sound jud|,'-ment, wide knowiedijre. sterlint^ character and con-
secrated heart made his life a power for irood in the church
and communitv. He died Januarv 2nil, fs'iS, leaviiiL,-' him
survivini,'- his wife and nine children, David 1'^., Mary S., Ivl-
ward, Kllen, IClizabeth, Deter S., ]\;itie, Alice and John.
DAVIS, DA VII) T.-dJorn at Cwm Mawr. Llanarth. Cardi-
transhire, Wales, Aui^ust li»th, ls2,-. He married Miss MaL;'-
dalcne Evans, ni Dant-\-Rhew, in the parish (d' Dyhewyii, (d'
the same shire, in 1S4'>, and they lived iti ;i place called I'"ynon
Dalis in the last mentioned parish, whence in the fall of 1S5.^
they emigrated to ]',\'j: Kock. 111. September 2.sth. 1S3S. they
came to Judson. Minn., and locate<l on the farm now owned by
Rev. John W. Ixloberts. They were two of the thirteen char-
ter members of th-e Salem Com^TeL^-.ation.al church. or<,'-ani/,ed
October 14tli. 1S5.^. by Kev. Jenkin Jenkins, .and Mr. Davis
was made one of the twi.i deacons of this church, which office
he held with g-reat acceptance until death. In the summer of
1S63 he removed to the present town of Cambria, where the
remainder id' his life was spent. June 21st. 1S(,(,, his wife
died. January 5th, isd't he married Mrs. Jane Williams,
daug-hter of Da'vid Du-h. <>f near Dol-ellau. Wales, who h.ad
emig-rated first to I'tica. X. Y., then to DodLTeville. Wis., in
1850, and thence to South Dend. Minn., in lS5ii, where her
first hushan.l, William Willi.ams. died. She, also, died Jan-
uary oOth, 1S')2, and Mr. Davis followed her to the Detter L.and
October 2Sth, IS'M. Mr. Davis was a true, conscientious
Christian, who won the esteem of all the community by his
blameless life and faithful service. In addition t.) his ilulies
as deacon he led the sing-ing- in Salem church for m;iny of its
earlier years. He also was fond of (xietry and had no little
ability as a composer of Welsli verse. He w.as freijuently
elected to various town oflices. .and in all jilaces secular, social
Dr. D. O. Thomas,
Dr, John Williams
LAKE CRYSTAL.
Dr. E. J. Davis,
EMINENT WELSH PHYSICIANS OF MIN-NESOTA.
THK WKLSn IN MINXESOTA. 171
anil rclig'ious was lionost and faithTul. His childri-n arc Anna
Jones, nf K..ckl(n-d. 111.; I,i/,/.lc Davis, ni St. IVtcr, Minn.;
Klk'U ICvans, wile ,>f Jolm L. Kvans, ,,r Cambria, Minn., and
Evan J. an<l .Tulin T. Davis ol' the same ])lace.
DAVIS, D.W'IJJ V. D.irn in r.lan;irtli, Cardii,ranshire, Wales,
in Sejttemlier, 1S,;S. His parents were named John and l%liza-
heth Davis. In 1S41 he reniovd with his mother to Tredei^rar,
Wales, and thence in June, IS.sl, to the Tnited States- locat-
ing- first at r.ridi;-e|iMrt, ().. removin-- the InllowinLr year to
Pomorov, ( ). He came to the present town ol' Camhri.a in
July, IS.s.s, ami located on the chiim he recently sold to
Rev. Thomas IC. Hu-hes. He returned to Ohio in Septeiiilier
of that year, hut came hack i<> liis claim the followim;- April.
IIo ag-ain returned to Ohio in 1S5S. where he remained until
-the sprini,-- of lS(,o. Aui^mst ISth. 1S(,2. he enlisted in Ccnn-
pany K, Nintli Minnesota Inf.mtry A'olunteers, and served
with his rei;-iment f;iithlully until the close of the w;ir, tak-
ing- part in all its marches and battles. October 4th. 1S(,0, he
married Miss Susanna, daughter of D.ivid and Man^aret
Llo)-d, of LeSueur County. In the sjiring- of 1S75 he rented
his farm and moved to Amiret, Lyon Ci)unty, where he was in
the mercantile business lor one and one-half years. He then
removed to Ottaw;i, LeSueur County, where he continued in
the mercantile business until the f;ill of 1 SSS, when he retired
from business and built a comfortable home in Mankato,
where he now resides. Honest, conscientious, and of sound
principles— a successful business man — a faithful and hrave
soldier and a kind ;ind hospit;ible friend and neig-hbor. he is
much respected by all. The children are Lizzie, Evan,
Thomas, Mai;-ti-ie and Edwin.
DAVIS, DIJ. EDWAIkI) .I.—Thinl son of Edward and Jane
Davis, ■'A'as born at I'encraig-, Towvn. Meri<methshire, Wales.
July 6th, IS.^'t. When he was cpiite youni,'- his parents emi-
g-ratcd to Marcy Township, Oneida Countv, X. Y., where they
settled on ;i farm. They had six other children, all of whom,
except one dau^-hti.T. still survive, n.anielv : 'William C, of
Lake Crystal, Minn.; Owen H. and Lewis L.. of Madelia,
Minn.; Mrs. Charles I'.ennett and Mrs. William C. Durkee,
of -Mank.ato, Minn. Wln-n Edward was twelve years old
■his parents moved to the vill;ii;-e of Whitesborow in the
same jToanty. He attended the villag-e school for the next
two years, when his father met si'vere fmanci.'il ri'verses
in his business of cattle buyer, and henceforth Edward
s. The
next six \
cars 1u
nniiKT ;
nil did cli
>ns Im
lin- th''
villaLTr srI
,M,1 anc
lS(,u an
1 until tlu
si>rinL.
1 Instill
U; Wilson
. Xia-
172 THK WI'I-SII IN MINNJCSOTA
had to ri.'lv on liis own rcson
worked on farms durinLC tlu-
his hoard in winter while att
Whilestown Seniinarv. Durin
of 1S(,2 he tauLTJit at the Wil
ara County, X. Y. Jud-e A. VV. Tour^ve was his eo-lah-
orer and room-mate duriiiLT first year. 1 [e then returned to
Whiteshorow and hcLran to studv medicine with Dr. C'harKs
E. Smith, hut < )etolH r '(tli, l.S(,2, lie enlisted as private in t'om-
pany 1), One Hundred .in.l l'"orly-Si\tli Kei,nment. New York-
Volunteers, and was soon ordered to the Iront. After two
months' service he w.as detailed assistant hospital stewart, and
after the hattK' of ( lettysl.ur!,^ was commissioned hospil.il
Stewart of the reL;-inient. After the battle of Cold Harhc r in
June, 1.S(.4, he w. is detailed chief sti'wanl of seconil division.
' fifth corps, fiel.l hospital. Tliis position he held until March
2nd, 1S()5, when he was commissioneil first lieutenant in his
rcyinient, and re-nuisten'd on that dale as such .and assii^rned
to the comm.and of Comp.my C, which he lield until disalded
by wounds at the b.allle of Kive I''orks, Va., Ai)ril 1st, 1S(,.^,
when he was brevelted captain for n-allant con<luct at this bat-
tle. Was mustered out with iiis reiifiment at Syracuse. X. Y.,
June Ibth, l^'ii.s, ;ind in the followini^'- SeptembiT resumed Iiis
study of medicine ;ind .irr.aduated M. \).. from the Antlionv
Medical Colle,L;e, December 24th, ]S(,7. Came to Mank.ato
early in April, 1S6S. where he opened .an oHice the following-
May and ever since has been in ;icti\e ]iractice. His kinfolk-s
had already come west excejit his father, who was ;iccident.-illy
drowned in the sprinLC of 1S(,7. His mother lived to the ripe
ag-e of eigty-three and died at her dau^'-hter's home in M.in-
kato. June .^iith, is"*), he married Miss Chrissie Thonipsim.
of Wilniing-ton, 111. Three children have blessed their union,
two of whom are livint,*-, a son and .-i d,iui,'-hter. He was ap-
pointed United States examininLf sur^-eon (d jiensions in 1S(,'».
and served continuouslv until iM'l.v He was a member of the
state board of health for fifteen years. Was present .-md
helped organize the State Medical Society in I-'ebruary, 1S(,'),
being .-m acti\e contributing member e\er since, and in iss.s
was chosen its president. Was a charter member id' the Min-
nesota Valley Medical Societv, (d" which, .-ils.,, he has since
been an active working member, and one ye;ir was honored
with its ])residency. Has served live years on the .Mank:ito
board of education ; and since 1.S72 has been elder of the
THE Wia.SlI IN MIN.NJ;SUTA. 1/3
PrcsbvtLTi;iii church of Mimkatn. an,l has always hccii prmn-
inc-nt in all the work nf the church and Sabl.ath school.
DAVIS, l']\'AX— Horn in 1S2I.. al Lhmywrlc, Cardii^-anshirc,
Wales. His parents were Daniel and Sarah Davis. He re-
ceived a fair common school eilncation. Al the ai^'e of 24
years he married Miss Catharine Davis, tlaui^diter of lluiod
Ilir, Llanhadarni'^ach of the same shire, a sister of Kev. David
Davis, Dethania. A year after their marriaye thev emii;Tated
to Jackson countv, ()hi(.>, and thence in Mav, 1S5(.. moved
with the Jackson colony to the WeMi settlement of Dlue Ivirtli
county, locating- in Judson, where he died in ISSS. C.enial,
kind-hearted, hospitalde and ever ready to extend a heli>ini^-
hand he was much beloved by al! his ac<iuaintance. The
widow and the youn^rcst son. J<din K.. still reside on the <.!d
homestea<l. The other children arc Elizabeth, wife of K. S.
Pritcliard, Mary, wife of David J. Williams, Denjaniin E.,
Daniel E.. Katie, wife of David E. Ilowen, and Evan E.
DAVIS, E\'A\ .J — i;,,rn at Xant-y-i Iwrdu Llanarth Cardi-
g-iinshire, Wales, in May. ISl'f. At the ai^-e of seventeen he
united with the Coni^Te^ational church at I'eii Cae under Dr.
Phillips, of Neuadd-lwyd. He went to work in the coal mines
of Sirhowy in lS4n. Married Miss Ann Thomas, dau-lUer of
John Thomas i Founder i in 1S47. The fcdlowinu' \ear, fs4S,
ho cmi-JTrated to America, locatinir for a short time at Su^-ar
Creek, Pa., thence Li-oiiiL;- to Drid^enort. ()., where in 1S52 his
wife died. Shortly after his wife's death he removed to Min-
ersvillo, O. There he assisted in the orti'ani/.ation of the lirst
Conyre<,'-ational church at that place antl was elected its first
deacon. In Octoljcr, fS55, he removeil to Dlue Earth County,
Minn., and located on a claim in the present town of Cambria.
There he took a very prominent part in the early historv of
the community anil held a number of the local offices. On his
arrival in Minnesota he first united with the Conyreji-atioiial
church, whose place cd worshiii was then in Juilson, but owint^-
to the fact that this was six miles away from his claim, while
the Calvinistic Methodist church of Horeb was situate on the
corner of his farm, he determined t.) unite with Horeb, espec-
ially since the Coni,'-rej,'-ational church had sus]>ended b>r a
short time, owiiiLC ti' ;i- little disvunl that had arisen. He was
very hii,-hlv esteemed by his Calvinistic brethren and lia<l he
consented W(.iild have lieen made an elder. March 31sl. isi.o.
he married Miss Ann lOvans. dauuiiter of Ivlward and Ann
Evans, then id' LeSueur Countv. January, 1S(,2, he was ap-
174 TIIH WICI.SH IN IWINNICSOTA.
pointed pustinasUT at i;ultLrmit \'anov. lie enlisted inCcmi-
panv 10, Ninth K'eLjinient, Minnesota \'olunteers, in August,
1S()2. Served lor about a year in the Sioux eampaiL;!! and
then his reLrinienl was ordered south — tirst to Missouri and
then in May, 1S(,4. to Mississippi. At the battle of Cuntown,
June loth, 1S(,4, he was made a pris(nier and taken to An-
ckTsonville prison, where he dieil October 15.tli, 1S(,4. He was
a man of stroiiL;- political, moral and reliL,'-ious convictions, and
was always honest, earnest and fearless in their defense, vet
he was primarily a ni.m of peace, k-ind. L^enerous, conciliatory.
A sincerely ^-ood man of excellent jud-nieiit and sound jirin-
ciples, he was hi-dily respected and dearly loved by all who
knew him.
I)AVI!':S, J()!IX !0.~l;orn at Xefvn, I'embrokeshire, Wales,
July 2'.lli, 17'i5. M.irried Miss Din, ih I.ewis, of Llandilo, in
1S22. They emiLjTated to lUica, N. Y., in IS.V), an.l thence to
Bii,- K(Kk, 111. In June, ls,^5, thev came to Illue Earth
County, Minn., and located at the present town of Cambria,
beiri!,'- the first white settlers of that town. I'rior to his ar-
rival there had been no reli-ioiis ori,^anization of any kind
formed west of South Hend, but the very first Sunday after
he came, Mr. Davies ornMiiixed a Sunday school at the cabin
of Humphrey Jones in the western part of Judson, and was
made its first suiierinteiident. He also was mainly instru-
mental ill formiuL;- a i)rayer nieetiiiL;-, in addition to the Sun-
day schoid, and in oruani/.iiiL;' this religious nucleus into a
Conyreyational church in the followiiii;- October (This church
is now known as Salem CoimTeu-ational church >. Mr. Dav-
ios was made one of its first deacons, which office he held
until his death, which occurred at Cambria May 2(.th, 1S(,7.
lie was a man of much reli^-ious faith and fervor and was al-
ways ener<.retic in applying them to practical deeds. In hos-
pitality he and his y, lod wife excelled. The latch striuL;- of
their cabin door .ilways luupu- out to welcome strani,'-ers and
rarely a day passed in those early years but it w,is pulled bv
someone. There is hardly a pioneer in the settlement who,
when he first came, a stranger in ijuest ni a home, did not
dine anil lod-v at the c.ibin of '• Slum Davidd." His wife,
Dinah D.ivies, was b..rn .it Ll.iiide-efyn, IVmbrokeshire,
Wales, October 17th, ISO], and died ,it C.iinbria February 7th,
lS7't. A uood t'hristian woman, kimlhearted and --enerous,
dren are William I). I ), ivies. Sarah, wife .d William K. Lewis,
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PROMINENT WELSH PEOPLE OF TKACY, MINN.
' ' TirK WKl.SII IX MINNI'SOTA. 175
of Liikc Crystal, and ElizaliL'th, wile of Kicliartl Joiics, of Cam-
bria, Minn.
DAVIS, JOHN l.-( Inuii h/ri.O, horn al I'.ala .\[crionaiishiro.
Wales, in 1S21. Son (.f .I<,1hi Davis. l..„,k!.!n,lcr and stalionur.
He was cikK-ateil at the -Tanuiiar school of l),.lL;-cllau and af-
terwards apiircntired to learn the carpenter's trade with his
uncle, "Main^- lihnlir Tlie Welsh bards " JAv^/v- /V/v'.s "
and "/(//-/.-. /■Vr//,/yr' todk much interest in him, and taught
him bardic comjiositioii until he became well versed in the
twenty-f.)ur Welsh measures. The lair iin)niise of vouth ma-
tured in him to make an able ami usel'ul man. Kmii^Tated to
Utica, N. Y., when twenty-one vears ,,Id. He was soon ch. .sen
elder of the C. .M. church, and two of his co-elders were Kevs.
D. F. Jones and 1>:. V. Jones. At Ctica he marrie.l Miss
- Owens. Kemoveil to and resideil f.ir -^ome time at Cambria,
Wis., and came with his lamily t.. Judson, Minn., in ]S(,s.
Here his wile died May l(,th, 1SS2, and he also died Januarv
13th, ISS'). His l,.s. was felt in manv circlesand esj.ecial 1 v i"n
the Sabbath sclio,,!. IR. was a line Welsh jioet and manv of
his compositions yet renuiin. which it is Impeil will be leath-
ered toij;-ether ami published. The lollowin-- is a si)ecimen of
his work, from his poem, )' Dilal'ad Collcdii;; :
•' I'm galw ckiw Mui^L-ilydd,— .-r niuliaii
'K aiiiaUvch (u in clt.I^.U;
lor yd>w fv Ngwarnt) .Id,
Yn y farn fy Nuw a lyM
DAVIS, JOHN l\~i;nrn inJulv, IS.^^s, .,n the Atlantic Ocean,
when his jiarents, David l>. and Jane Davis, were emi^ratiuL;-
from Cardio-anshire, Wales, to Jacksnn L'ountv, (). Keceiveil
a g-ood conunon school education ami removed with his par-
ents to Ulue P::arth County. Minn.. bs5(,. with the Jackson col-
ony, and located in the present town of Cambria. In l.S(,2
joined the state militia to protect the frontier ai^^-ainst the
Sioux, and in December, lS(,.i enlisted in Comjianv iC, Second
Minnesota Cavalry, wherein he served until close ni the wai
18f)5. In fS(,(, he married Catherine, dau-hter of Davi.l am
Margaret Lloyd, of Sharon, IvcSueur Canity, and ojierated his
farm in Cambrui until lS7.^when he removed to New I'lm
and enyayed in the mercantile business. After two vears he
removed to Tracy. Minn., and continued in the mercantile
business there until ISSS, when he s,>l,l .)ut and became presi-
dent and stockho],Ier(d' the " Conuiierce Ikink " of Tracv. In.
176 thp: welsh in jiinnhsota.
1892 lie rciiiijVL'il tcnii>i.ir;irily to Ilamlinc to ix'ivc his children
the henclil ol' the university there. Mr. lt;ivis still conducts a
loan and real estate office at Tracy. His business ventures
have been very successful so he need not fear a rainy day.
Politically he is an aij-nressive prohibitionist. In religion he
and Mrs. Davis are faithful members of the First Presbyterian
church of Tracy, of which Mr. l)a\is is an active ruling- ehler.
Their children are Marj^'-aret Ella, wife of Neil Finch, of
Tracy ; John Kdi^ar, Jayne and David Edwin.
DAVIES, -lOlIN S.-Son of the late Kev. David Davies, born
in Cardig-anshire, Wales, AuL;ust 12tli, IS.il. lie came to
America with his parents in the year 1S.^7, settling- in Jackson
County, Ohio. At the ai,'-e of seventeen he beyan to teach in
the common schools, which occupation he followed with fair
- success for about eiirlit years. In ISSd he, with his parents,
brothers and sister, removed to Minnesota, with the Jackson
colony, and located on farms in the p'resent town of Cambria,
where he has resided nio^t of the time ever since. In 1S(,I) he
married Miss Mary, dau-Jiter of the late Thomas J. Jones, of
LcSueur County. There remains today as the fruit of this
union seven sons and two daughters, viz : 1). Charles, J. Mil-
ton, Peter W., D. Alvin, J. IClmer. P. Osborne, 11. Lester, El-
len M.. and M. Edith. .Mr. Davies was elected deacon of Zion
church in the year 1S7S ; he has now for many years been a
member and deacon of Ilorel) churcji in the town of Cambria,
and has also for years led the congregational singing in said
church with fulelitv .and acceptance.
DAVIS, LEWIS— i;,,rn <m the banks of the river Kheidol,
parish of Llanljadarn Fawr. Cardiganshire, Wales, January
1, 1S32. Married Ann. (.laughter of John and Catherine Jen-
kins, Penrhyn Coch, in February, 1S5'>. Removed to Khos-
llancrchrug-og, Denhighshire, in ISdS. Emig-rated to Calumet,
Mich., in June, ISTu. and worked b)ur years in cojiper mines of
Lake Superior and vicinity. His wife d.ied March 4, 1S74, at
Calumet. In theyear 1S75 he removed to Judson, Minn., where
he located on his present valual)le farm. The line residence
shown in engraving- was built in 1S')2, and is located on the
farm of his bachelor brother, David Davis, who was Ixirn at
the same place in Wales in is^iii, .iml came to Judson in ISjO
and lives with Lewis. Lewis has been a faithful member of
the Salem C. 'M. church since he came t<i Judson, and in 1SS2
was made a ruling elder. His children are: John C., Cath-
erine, wife of Evan Pugh; IClizabeth, widow of J(din K.Jones;
THK WKI.SII IN MINNHSOTA. 177
Sarah J., wife of Kol.crt II. Owens; David ami Lewis, all of
Blue Earth county, and Mamie, of Hillsdale, Mich.
DAVIS, OWICX-IIorn at Ilavod-las Gwvr.vfon, Cardigan-
shire, Wales, January, 1S22. Son of Evan and (iwen Davis.
Emigrated to Jackson County. ()., in IS.'^S, where he married
Miss Mar--aret Ilu-'lies, dau^irhter of Jt)hn nu.i,rhes, of Oak
Hill, O. in' 1S57 he removed to Cleveland Township, LeSueur
County, Minn., where he located on the farm now occupied bv
the family. Duriui,-- tlie Indian outbreak his home was the
g-atherini,'- place of the nei^-hborhood. June 2d, lSf>5, he was
mustered into Company E, Fourth Minnesota Volunteers. He
died January 7th, 1S'),^, le.ivini,'- surviving;- his wife and four
children, Evan, Jdm and ICli/.abeth and Mrs. David Kees
Lloyd. In life he was always of robust health, ener.i^'etic and
industrious. He had a genial, contented and hospitable dispo-
sition, and was honest and upriyht in his dealings.
DA VIES, IMi. I)., 1{EV. I'ETEK S. -Fourth son of Kev.
David Davis, late of Caml)ria, Minn. Lorn at farm called
"Bryn Awen," Cardiganshire, Wales. When a child enii-
g-rated with the family to Lloomlield Township, Jackson
County, O. At seventeen he began teaching school in winter and
attending the acadamies of Fine llrove and Albany and ( )hio
University at Athens, (). In 1S57 entered the classical course at
Marrietta Colleg-e and gfraduated A. L. in 1S(,1, takin.g fourth
honor in the class, and was one of tlie four chosen members
of the Phi-Leta-Kappa Society. Craduated in 1S(,4 from Lane
Theological Semenary, Ohio, and became pastorof the ■' Soutli
Side" Presbyterian church of Pittsluirgh, Fa., where he was
ordained the same year by the Pittsburg Fresliyterv (N. S. ).
During his pastorate .d eight years the church" became self-
sustaining" and built a house of worshij) costing- S4(»,0()(). Dur-
ing- this time he was an active member of " FxKird of Missions
for Freedmen " from its organization until he left Pittsburi,--.
His next pastorate, wliich also histed eight years, was over the
Presl)yterian churcli(d' Pomeroy, (). He and his estinuible
wife took an active part in the "Ohio Temjierance Crusade"
of that perio.l, his wife bcinLT the lea.ler of the crusade in
I'omeroy, while lie freipiently lectured in the streets and also
edited and ]>ublished at his own expense a temj.erance jtaj-er
called --The Sbining Li-ht." This was during the ].eriod
when the W. (,\ T. F. \yas born. In isso he resi-ned bis
178
TIIK Wia.SII IN IMINNICSOTA.
Pomcroy church l.. take char-c of a weak mission in Midland
City, Mich, or his work there we -iiinte :
•■The live years ulnch .Mr. Dav,eb lius sp^iU in M.dla.ui l.ave been marl^ed bv
great progress in the I'resbyterian church. For some years previous to Octo-
ber, iSSo, the church had had no pastor. The buildinj; had l,een destroyed by
lire and no definite steps had been taken toward rebuilding. The number of
memliers was twenty-eight, and it w.as a missionary church. Now it is self-
sustaining and with a membership ot 150. In 1883 a hand.some brick church
was erected at a cost of about $G,ooo, and was paid for before dedication, ex-
cept a small debt upon the furniture. For two yaars previous to the coniple-
tion of the building, services were held in lieardsley Hall most of thr time, a
portion of the time in the Siranahan building. While connected with the M^d-
. land church, Mr. Davies has done a good deal of work outside, having organ-
ized five churches in neighboring towns and counties, the last of which was at
Coleman, as recently mentioned in this paper. — Midland liepiiblican.
In lySO, to obtain a chani^r-c of climate l"ur his failino- healtli, .Mr.
Davies accepted the position of I'resbyterial missioiiarv to the
Aberdeen Presbytery, Dakota, ;ind in two years he lielped to
orpinixe lllteen new Presliyterian churches. He then sui.-
plied Groton church lor a time ami was secretary ol trustees
of Groton colle-e durin-- his stay. He next liecame pastor of
the Presbyterian churcli of .Missouri \'alley. la., where .hiriii-
his stay of three and a luiH years, the church doubk'd itsmenr-
bership, became self-susl.nnin- and made extensive repairs on
its house of worsliip. After a slmrt time at Meiilo. I.i.. he ac-
cepted a call to Mandan, N. I)., in the summer of IS'M. In
ISSV he receivetl tlie de-ree of Ph. 1). fnnu IJellevue Cojle-e of
the University of Omaha. He married .Miss .Melinda K. Wil-
liams, of Cincinn.ai, ()., in IS(.(,.
I)AVH<:S, KIOV. inCll.MJI) -llom at Llanwaddelan. IJan-
ulluyan parish, .Mont-omerysliire, Wales, .famiarv 1st. IS(»4.
His parents were named Kichard and .Mary Davies. .Married,
in Montijonieryshire in lS.;.s. Miss Jane Herbert, sister id the
hito Owen Herbert, of i;iue lOarLh County. iMiii-rated toJack-
son Cinnity, ().. in siirin- of IS.^T. There he bet^-an i)reacliin'^
in lS40with the Calvinistic .Methodist cliurches. Jn Ai.riK
1S42, he went on a trip thn.u-h Wisconsin to inspect that,
then new country. He reached Racine about Jinie l.and lin.l-
in- a few Welsh families located on farms about 4 or .^ miles
south of the villa-e. he preached to them and aboul the last
>>i June or first, d' July he or-ani/.ed fifteen of these people
into a church ,ind then returned to his home in ( )liio. hi the
fall ,.f 1,S4.; he removed t,) K'acine. Wis., where he lived until
ISS:, when he went to ha Crosse, Wis. He was ordalne.l
April !(,, IS.M, at R.icine. Wis., bv a Con-iv alio,,;, I council
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 179
In July. l.S.=,3, ])<_■ .anic t.. South llenil, Minn., uti.l there uii
Au^L,'"ust 1, IS.^S, i)r^-;uii/,c(l a rnimi ehurrh. U< whicli he iniii-
istcrcd ii<r sonic time. .lune 24, ls5<i, he uri^atlized Sanm
chureh of f.e Sueur eounty. July 2, 1S5(,. he also or-'unized
the e;alvinistie .Methodist ehureli <>i Iloreh, in tlie present
town of Cambria. .Minn. In October <d this year, while he
was iiway at La Crosse on .i i>usiness \isit, his house at South
Bend was hnrned, and his wife in attempting;- to save a few
thin^'-S perished in the tlames. He had just started a mill at
South Bend at the time, hut this s.i.l eatastrophy so com-
pletely upset him and, added to his rather i>oor business ability,
caused this business venture to fail, and the linaiicial embar-
rassments that followed harrassed him thereafter for many
years. In the sprin- of is.^s he married .Miss lOllen Williams.
of Milwaukee, Wis., and moved his residence to Sh.iroii, I.e
Sueur County, where he remained until the summer of 1S(,2,
when he locatc.l on a claim in the Crow Kiver country. The
Indian outbreak soon billowed aiul he and his wife lied back
to LeSueur County and .iband..ned their claim forever. Mr.
Davies had a very narrow escajie from the savai^es at this
time. After tiie lirst scare he with, a few iiei^'iiliors ventured
back to their homes, from Henderson, whence they had lied,
'to lo(dv after their stock and to i^'ather provisions b.r the win-
ter. Suddenly one morniiiL;- a band id' Indians made a raid
upon them an<l killed a number of .Mr. Davies" nearest iieiirh-
bors and made hot pursuit after him, but in passini,'- o\er a
ridge he ,ij;-ot out of their sii^rhi i,,r a few moments and im-
proved these in liidini.;- in a sloUL;h. where he lay until ilark
and then made his way to Henderson. .\s soon as the Indian
trouble was over he located on a farm near Blue ICartli City
and in 1S74 moved to Mankato, where Julv 24, 1SS7, he <lie(l
at a <^ood a,L;e, lea\iiii4- liim sur\i\in,!.;- his de\dted wife. Dur-
ing most of his ministerial career he was in the employ .d' the
Home ^lissionary Society (d' the (.'oiinrei^ational and Presby-
terian churches. He also ministered bir the t'alvanistic .Meth-
odists for some time. He i>reaclied the lirst Welsh sermon
in Minnesota and probable west id' the .Mississippi. It is
claimed that he als,, preach'ed the lirst Welsh serm.m in Wis-
consin and Illinois. The many lloiirishin-- churches which he
organised attest that the labors (d this worthy pioneer of pio-
neers were not in vain in the Lord.
DAVIS, TII<).>1.\S v.— r.,,rn ..t Kh vd-v-Kv.lde, Llan.irth.
Cardi--.inshire. .I.inu.irv 21st, IS.^ii. When ab.iut ten vearsold
TSn THIC Wia.SII IN :\!INNi;.S(.)TA.
moved to 'rn,ikL;ar, ( ;i;iniiiori^'-;insliirc, wliciu-o he ciniyraUil
to America, hmiliiiu;- in New York June Istli.lSSl. Setlled
first at Wlieelin--, W. Va.. tlien at I'oiiieroy, ()., and Ironi
there in April, 1SS5, he eame to IMue Karth County, Minn.,
beiny one of tlie lirsi ci-ht Welsh settlers in the i>resent town
of Jiulson. After residiti'..;- a short time on his claim in Jud-
son he removed to the present town ni Cambria. l>urini;" the
Intlian massacre <d' \Sh2 he went to the defense (d New I'lm
and tliere joined Cai^t. I '.ierbauer's company and took- part iti
the hist battle, lie was also a member of all the militia com-
panies of his town durinu' those days of Indian terror. Aj-ril
2'»th, lS(o, he was married to Miss Mary Davis, dauLrhter of
Kev, David Davis. His wife died March .m1, 1S71. On Aug-
ust 2(dh, 1S7'), he inarrie.l ai^ain. his second wile beini,'- Miss
-Maryaret IJarrett. In the sprin,'^- (d' ISS') he s(dd his farm in
Cambria and remove., 1 to Mankato, where he still resides. He
has but one child, Mr>. Mary Y. Dackins, wife of J(din F.
Dackins, of Mankato. Minn.
DAVIS, WILI.I.K.U— i;,,rn May ..rd, 1S47, at (llan Llyn IVn-
mon Ani^-lesea, Wales. He was the son of John and Jane
Davis. Worked at carpenter tra<le in Liverpocd and Manches-
ter for four years, thence emiu;-rateil to .Vmerica in sprini;' of
1S()S', locatinj,-- for one year at Chicai^n). Thence came to Wi-
nona, Minn., where he was emjdoyed in the ChicaL,'-o iV Xorth-
wcstcrn railway shops for four years. At Win(ma he learned
photoi,'Taphy, and in Ajiril, 1S74, came to .Mankato an. 1 opened
a photoj^-rapher's i^'allerv, which he has conducted verv success-
fully up to the present time. September, ISo'i. married .Miss
Ann Pritchanl. of Lake ICmily, Wis. They have been blessed
with three children. Marv J., now Mrs. .M. II, Terry, of St.
Peter, Llewelvn and Charlotte.
DAVIS, SIL, WILLI, \.^l \V.— T.orn at I^hiwlas. Llanlilian-
<rel, M<mtyomeryshire. Wales, January 2,m1, ls2't. His ipar-
ents were William and Alice Davis. Ilis ancestors on his
father's side had resided at Khiwlas over 4(i(l years. He was
one of nine children, ail id' whom with his jiarenls emi^Tated
to Racine, Wis., in 1S4S. He married l^llen. dau-hler of John
and Elizabeth Daxter at Kacine .May 'Hh, 1S4S, and on April
21st, IS.sS, remove.l t. . South lleiid, Minn., where he eniraL.'-ed
in the mercantile business. Kenioved to .M.Lnl<ato about ISL.s
and was in business there for a lew years, and then about ISSl
returned to South Keud, where he has lieen m the mercantile
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H. H. Jones, i
JLDSON, MINN. i
PROMINENT MUSICIANS OF BLUE EARTH COUNTY. MINN.
Wia.SH IN MINNl'SOTA.
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inent singer and was a iiienilier ni the ianious C'ambrian <|iiar-
lette.
DAVIS, Ji;.. \\'n.L!.\.M W.-nnrn .-it S.iuth I'.end, Minn..
May 13tli, 1S,,2. Son ot W. W. Davis of that phiee. Iviu-
catcd at tlie Mankalo puhlie seliools. {''or the past ten years
has been bookkeeper lor the K. 1). Hubbard Mi
lie is also director and treasurer ot the Mank-ato Savini;-s
I!ank. For the p.ist eii^dit years has boen an elder in the l''irst
Presbyterian church of Mankato. .hnie 2stli, IS').-,, he ni.ar-
ricd Kninia IL, dauL,'-h ter .d" Hon. L. (',. M. l''letclier, ol Man-
kato. FaithEul and honest. Mr. Davis has won hi-li re-ard
- in business and reliuious circles.
KI)A\'.\KI)S, IM:\', D.WID- Kev. David IC.hv.ards. jn-esent
pastor of Lake Crystal, .Terusaleni ami Salem C'. M. ( Welsli
Presbyterian) cliurches. JTe was born in ISi.l at JlanLTor, a
city of Caernarvonshire, AVales, at head of llraumaris' Dav,
and in the midst of a romantic valley. The first vears of his
life were spent at home .and in attendance at the Kritish ;ind
Qramtnar scho(ds. In the year ls77 lie left home and was em-
ployed as a clerk in a woiden warehouse- at Liver] 1, Ijil;--
land, where he stayed for three years. In ISSo he left Liver-
pool and entered a private i^-raminar schind at Oswestrv, in
Shropshire, and dnrinLT his stay there was admitted as a rcL;'-
ular member of the I'resbyterv in lss2. After attendini,'- c(d-
Icg-c for five years more, he sailed from his n.ative shores, an-
ticipating- a stay of four months in the Lnited Slates. The
climate, however, provini,'- Li're.atly beiielici.al to his health, was
a great inducement b)r him to remain here. He took cliarue
of the Welsli Presbyterian churches in Xel)raska .and Denver.
Col., but in February, IS').^, moved to Lake Crystal, Minn..
and became the pasl,.r of the tliree Welsh churches lirst men-
tioned. Mr. Edwards married December, ISSS, Lizzie, daugh-
ter of the late John S. Jones. IHue Sprin-s. Xeb.
KI)\V.\i;i)S, Fir<ill--l;,,rn at D.duvlly, Merionethshire,
Wales, in ISlO. Married Miss ]<:iixabeth ICvans. at Dol^•ellv,
in 1S4(I and the two c.ime to the Fiiited States soon after their
marria.i^-e and located in Kemsen, N. Y. In the spring- (dTs47
they moved to Kacine. Wis., and thence in the b dlowint,-- vear
to Kmtnet, Wis. In June, bs.^5. they came to Judson, llliie
Earth County, .Minn., where Mr. ICdwards died, Au'nist 27,
182 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA
1872. He was honest, industrious and reli^'ious. He was a
deacon of the ConuTenational Church at Ihumet. Wis., and
with the Welsh Wrsleyan Church at S.aith Keiid. His chil-
dren are: Hu-h H. Ivhvanls. .I.iliu Ivhvanls and Daniel ]■]<]-
wards, of Ju.lson, Minn., and .Mrs. .\Iar--aret Roberts, ,le-
ceased.
EDW.VKDS, lll<;il II. Horn at K.-niseu. N. Y.. I-Vl.ruarv
2Sth, 1S42. Son ol IIul;-!! ivhvards ahove mentioned. He re-
ceived a --.hmI c.>nnn..n sclio.,1 educati.Mi. Came with his i-ar-
ents to Ju<lson, Minn., in June. IS.s.S. Kehruarv 2.sth. 1S(,.^.
married Miss Ann Roberts, ihiULi'liter of John R. and .\niv
Roberts (St. Charles:. In December. 1S(,,^, he enlisted in
Company IC, Second Minnesota Cavalry, and served durini;- the
war in the Indian caniiiaii^n on the Irontier. Julv, IS7.N he
was appointed mail aL;ent on C. St. P., M. >.V (). railway,
which position he held until Aui^'ust, issi,. In ISSS he w.as
elected county commissioner of iJlue ICarth County, which of-
fice he held for f<iur years. I'ossessed of -reat eneri^y, deter-
mination and industry he has .always liecTi one <d' the ]>rinciiial
leaders in ever\- pid)lic and private entcr]irise in the conunun-
ity. His children arc John. Daniel, F.ix.zic .and Ania.
EDWAIJDS, .IAMI>:S -i:,.rn Aj.ril 2<1, ls4.i. at I'ittsbur-, I'a.
Son of James and .Margaret 1'aI wards, late <d' Cambria, Minn.
Came with his parents to f^a Crosse, Wis., in lS.=i5, and thence
to Cambria, Minn., in July. IS.sT. November .Stli, 1S()1, he en-
listed in Conii)any 15, 1 Iracketfs IJattalion, Minnesota Cavalry.
Took part in the followini;- battles: Fort Donaldson, Pitts-
burg- Landing-, Corinth, and mai-iy campaigns and raids in
Tennessee, Kentucky, 2vIissouri and Mississippi, About Jan-
uary 1st, 1S(.4, re-enlisted in the saiUi' com]iany and his com-
mand was assigned to dutv a.!:r:iinst the hostile Siou.x f)n the
northwestern frontier. While " Jim," as he was famili.arly
known, was ligliting- rebels on southern lields, his father was
killed by the Inilians in their attack on IJutternut Valley Sep-
tember Ittth, 1S(.2, and when he receixed the letter from home
tellingof the murder he swore that some dav he would avenge
his blood. On Julv 2Sth, 1S(,4, was foughtthe battle of Ta-
ha-konty on the edge of the Had Lands of D.-ikota, 2,2(Hi
whites against d.uoo Indi.'ins. Jim"s da\' of veng-eance had
come and he went into the thickest of the light. Seeing a
dismounted In<liau a little way off. sep;trated from the main
body, he broke from the ranks and made lor the Imlian, sliout-
inir "Now is the time for venireancel "" Half ado/.en mounted
THK
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IN MINNESOTA. l.S.:?
peril rushed to his aid and as
dp. Jim lired his revolver at
dcy warrior had reserved his fire
lie face, and turning- suddenlv
-un at sh..rt ranye fired. Quick
idle so as to elevate his horse's
head just in time to receive the fatal bullet intended for his
brain. The horse spun round— the Indian clubbed his jrun
and struck at Jim who parried the blow with one arm, while
he (juickly drew his saber with the other hand and with one
stroke severed the Indian's head. IJotli armies had j.aused a
moment to witness this sinyle combat and Jim was the hero of
the hour. The Indians seeini;- tlieir champion fall beat a
hasty retreat, while tlie white soldiers ur--ed the pursuit with
new vig-or. Jim removed tlie sad.lle and bridal from his dead
liorse and took the Indian's guii, ammunition bag and mocca-
sins as trophies, and being unaide without .1 horse to join his
comrades in the pursuit, he took up :i jiosition among- the
wounded to protect them from slraggliii-- savaires, a number
of whom he chased from the held with his revolver. Jim was
at once prom.ded. After the war he resided in Cambria until
1S70, when he went to Jackson, ()., where he remained until
1801, when he again returned to his old home and there died
September 30, 1S')2. He was as brave and efficient a soldier
as any in the war.
'EDWARD, .JOHN— Farmer, born at Steuben. X. Y., Novem-
ber 24, 1S45. Removed t.) Racine. Wis., when two years old
and thence to luumet, Wis., and in June, 1S55, he" came to
Blue Earth County, Minn. Enlisted August ISth, 1S<.], in
Company E, Ninth :Minnesoia \'oluiiteers, and served with his
regiment in every march, skirmish and battle until the close
of war. At the battle of Spanish Fort, near ^lobile. he was
wounded in the left knee. December, 1S(,.^, married Jane.
daughter of John P. Jones, of Judson. Since tlie war he has
lived on his farm in the town of Judson. His children ;ire :
Hugh, Thom.-is, Ilenrv, David, William, (ieorge and Charles.
:i)WAIil)S, \VILl/l.\:\l-i:orn November' 17th. is,;s. in
Cardiganshire, Wales. Son of James and M:irgaret ICdwanls,
late of Cambri;i, Minn. Came with his jiarents to 1 'illsbur-.
Pa., about 1S4(), thence in spring of IS.^.^ to L.aCrosse. Wis..
and thence in June, 1S.=.7, to Caiiibri;i, Minn., where he still
resides. May K.th, 1S(,1 , lie m.irried Miss M.irLTarri M.ivi-.
daughter of David P. Davis, tiien of Dutternut \'allev. in
l84 TIIIC WKI.SII IN MIXNI-.SliTA.
Doccnihcr, ISf,."., he ciiiistod in Cninpaiiy \\, Scc'diid iMinncs.ita
Cavalry, and served until elose ni war. April 7. 1S7;., his wile
died and in ls7o he married aL;-ain. Ilis secimd wife heini;-
Mrs. Eliy.aheth Daniels.
KDWAIJDS, \\'ILLI.\."M It.- Horn in Palmyra, Porta-e
County, ()., in lS4i>. At the aye of nine years roinoved with
his parents to Wisconsin, where they settled on a farm near
Oshkosh. Here his hoyh 1 days were spent until 1S5S. when
ho went to St. Louis. .Mo., and attended ihe St. Louis Normal
school, which was at that time in charL.-'e of liis brother Kich-
ard. There he remained until the war of the rebellion broke
out, when he returned home. From th.it time on he attended
Lawrence University at Appleton, Wis., and tau:j:ht seho.d at
Milwaukee, Wis., and Klpaso, 111., until 1S(.7, when he en-
tered the State Normal luiiversitv >'i lllii;ois, from which in-
stitution he jrraduated in June, ISi.'i. From that timeon until
1S7S he followed the profession of teachinir. for which he had
specially (pialilieil himself. The -Teater portion of the time
lie was principal of the I'^iribauU f .Minn. • public schools and
of the Osa-'e ' Iowa ) schools. In ls7s he be-'an his career as
a journalist and has ever since been enLra^-ed in editiuLT and
publishing,'- :i K'epublican jiaper. Thou'_rh ipiite active in poli-
tics, he was ne\ er an aspirant for office. ile has always ])re-
fcrred to work f.ir his friends, rather than himself. The of-
fice of couiit'i- superintendent of schools of Lyon county be-
comin<^ vacant in isss, the county commissioners unanimously
elected him to lill the unexpired term. In the fall of that year
at the g-eneral election he was elected to the office by a major-
ity of 1,002 votes over all opposition. lie was for two years
a member of the Kepuldican State Central Committee, and is
at present editing and jniblishinn- the " Tracy Kei>ublican."" In
his relig-ious belief .Mr. Ivlwards is a Presbyterian, ;ind has
been an elder in that denomination tor the past twelve years.
His family consists of wife and live dauirhters. lie has filled
various honorary jiositioiis in his town, and is at [iresent clerk
of the l]oard of Ivkication, secrelarv ni the Tr.acy District
Fair Association, president id' the IJoard .d' Trade ;ind .luslice
of tlie Peace.
KLMS, KLLIS !•:.-: ^7,/y/ /Jy/h, born in l.s44 at .Vber Dyli,
Merionethshire, Wales. When six y.ars ol,l his m.dlier d'ied
and he was brou--ht up bv his ^-randmother at C.ariieild Llan-
ddeiniolen. She was the iiKitherof Ke\ . K'obert ICllisof Vs-
uoldv, a well known Calvinistic Methodist minister. While
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Daniel M.
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ri.T. MINX.
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J. Fletcher William
Late Librarian of State Historical
Col. D. n. Evans,
Ex-Pres-idi'Ut Krdli,-l,l ( „lli-i
Miss Margaret J. Evans, A. M.
Lady I'riiicii.al of farllon C.Jlixe.
NOTED WELSH FEOrLE OF MINNESOTA.
TIIH WKLSH IX MINNICSOTA. 185
young-, Ellis \v;ts learning Iho carjienlcr and joiner's trade at
Aher Dyll, he came in contact with Lh-..;-lx)i '/'i.tol:^; ( •-..//viii
O Foil, loan up III! /';-,/,/r;'- and otliers" of the 'literati' of
Wales, who insi)ired him with a strong- taste lor Welsli litera-
ture, especially- poetry, and when quite young- he won a num-
ber of prizes at the FJi-lcddfodau ^^ Aher Dyfi, Towyn, and
Machynlleth. Kmigrated to America in IS(,(I and lived for
about two years with his father at llydeville and Kairhaven,
Vt. lie then removed to Ctica, N. Y., where he married. In
the fall of 1S(,4 nmved to IJlue ICarlh County, Minn., where he
lived about ten years, mostly at Mankato. There lie was very
active in org-anizing- the Welsh Church, whose services were
held at his house for a long- time, and also in starting liter;iry
societies. In 1S74 move<l to Lime Springs, la., where he lived
- two years. There he lost his house and contents by lire, lie
then moved to Bhx.niington, Neb. for a year, thence to Red
Cloud for two years, thence to Wymore for six ye.-irs and tlience
to Beatrice, Neb., where he has resided the ]iast four years
eng^ag-ed in publishing- the Beatrice Tribune. Since K'aving
Lime Springs he has lieen an active member and eiiler of the
Presbyterian church. He is a ready writer aiul has been a
frequent contril)Utor to Welsh and ICnglish periotlicals, and is
a ijood Welsh ]ioet.
EVvVNS, DAMIOL >l()i; JJIS— iiorn at IJandyfriog i-arish,
Cardig-anshire, Wales. \l^ spent several years in Utica and
New York Mills, N. Y. He took a prominent ]>art in organ-
izing- the Congregational Church at the latter i>hice, and was
very efticient as a Sunday School worker and deacon. In 1S.=.5
he removed to Winona, Minn., and at once eng-ag-ed in Chris-
tian -work in an Union Sunday School and soon after heljied
org-anize the Congreg-ationai Church there. He did excellent
work during- the revival there in lS5i'>, as he had a very effec-
tive ma}- of approaching'- unccmverteil young men. The same
year he -was made deacon of the Winona Church and workerl
faithfully and contributed freely to its support. In IS.^S he
removetl to a farm near St. Charles, Minn., where there had
been no regular relig-ious service as yet. He at once gathered
all inclined to the Congreg-ationiil polity and formed them into
a church and got all to ])ledg-e to abstain from intoxicating--
liquors. This pletige at lirst worked against the church, but
finalh' proved a means of success. During- the nine vears he
lived near St. Charles no Sunday, summer or winter, was too
stormy for Mr. Evans and his family to attend church, though
186
TIIK WHI.Sir IN MIXMCSOTA.
he livL-d SDinc distance from lown. lie also ■^'atliered a Sun-
day School at a school house nearer home, where a church
was afterwards or,--anized. Ai.out 1S(,7 he removed to a small
villai,>-e in the southern part of the state, where there was no
Christian Church within six miles, lie took measures to se-
cure rcM-ular preachin-. worked faithfully in prayer meeting-
and Sunday school and labored anion-- tiie youn,<r people until
within a year a church was oriranizcd and he and his familv
were seven of the clnirter memhers. 'IMiat church irrew and
became a jiower for ^^,,,,,1 in the country around. He next
moved to h^irihault. wlieri' he united with PIvmouth ConLj-re-
g-ational Church and was soon iliosen one of its deacons. His
christian activity w;is hiu-hly heuelicial to this church as lie
heli.ed to start and maintain seven Sundav Schools in the oiit-
" lying- districts. ICvery Sunday attended to .nieof these and
was its superintendent, while his dau,L;-liter, Sarah, ha,l char-e
of another. F.,r many years he tau-lit the tailorin-- trade at
the Deaf and Duml, Institute, at Karil.ault. He died at l-'ari-
bault in Deceml.er, 1S7S. He was a tliorou,L;-lil v -'ood man,
whose life was imminently useful in the master's service.
His children have risen to places of -reat usefulness and
htmor. Two of them. Col. ]). ^[. Kv.-ms and Miss M. J.
Evans, A. M., are mentioned elsewhere in this volume
EVANS, HON. DAVID ('.- i:.,rn at Klios-v-( ll.is-Coed in
Meifod, iMont.i^-omeryshire, Wales in 1S2(I. His father emi-
grated to Palmyra, ()., in is.;.^, and his niolhrr with their two
sons, D. C. and Kev. Meredith lOvaiis. followed him in June,
l.S3(.. At the ay-e of sixteen ye;irs left home to seek his for-
tune. After a short stay at Palmyra, went to Cars' Kun near
Pomeroy, ()., thence to .Middlel.ury, ()., thence in .Mav, 1S4;,,
to Dodg-eville, Wis., where he worked lor a time in the coal
mines. At Dod-eville in 1S47 he married Marv, daui^-hter .d"
Thomas and Mary Herbert, of Palmvra, ()., .md in IS.SI tliev
moved to LaCrosse, Wis. (Then a small ].lace called Prairie
LaCrosse. ) There his wife died in July. 1.SS2. and his two
children also die.l, leavin- him alone in the world. Julv 2.Sth,
1S.V>, he left LaCrosse for the Creat IJeiid of the Minnesota.
which he reached Au-ust 1st, 1S,V^ and became .me of the pro-
prietors of South Heiid, bein- the first Welshman to h.cate west
of the Blue Karth. On May .stli, bS.s.s.he married Janclaui^hter
of Thomas and Mary Mor-an, of Palmyra, (). He" was
electetl county commissioner in 1.S54, state senator in 1859,
TlIK Wia.Sir IN MIN^NKSOTA. 1 S7
count}- treasurer in IST.". which hist offKc he hehl fur eii,'-ht
years. Nlr. I')vaiis is a man of much ener^-\- and aliilily, and is
especially noted Inr his iDiiestv and integrity of cliaracter.
EVANS. "l>. Win II. -i;..rn at Clan Conway. I )enl.yshire,
Wales, DecemhiT, IS+.s. 'OminT.iled to Camhria. Wis., in
April, 1S(.7, where he resi(h-d live vears. Then spent a vear
in Colorado and returned to Wisconsin. Julv 4th, is;;., at
Milwaukee, Wis., married Miss Hannah, dau-hter of J, dm
K. Jones, Oakland larm, near Cand>ria. Wis. .\l,,ved to Min-
neapolis in l'"el)ruarv. 1S7'), and entered the employ <d' the
Minneapolis H.irvester Works Company, l.y whom he" was pro-
moted in 1SS4 to he superintendent ol the W 1 departuu-nt.
which jiosition he still holds. When the company was
chan-ed to the W, liter A. W 1 Harvester Companv and
moved to St. I'aiil. Mr. ICv.ms removed there also in Septem-
her, IS't,;. Mr. .uu\ .Mrs. ICv.ins were charter nu'mhers ,>!' the
Minnea]M>lis W^dsh church, hut on removin-- to St. I'.iul, they
and their two sons, K'ichard and D.ivid, united with the ICast
Preshyteriun church n( that citv.
EVANS, DAVID II. 11,, rn at I'tica, X. Y., X.,vemher 1st,
lS.=i2. In 1SS7 his p.irents moved to South Kend. Mint... where
his father, David 1). ICvans, now of Mankato, Minn., en-ai^-ed
in farmin.i,'- and hlacksmithinL;-. I )urinLC the trvint,-- days .d' the
threat Sioux m.ass.icre. <d" 1S|,2, his latlur was a memher of
the South Dend militia, lie also served on the fJoard of
County Conimissiomrs ol lilue ICarth C-unty from 1S(,(, to
ISr.S. Youno- ICvans Ii.l,1 t.i contend with the usual hardships
and disaih'.autaiies of pioneer life, liut his force of character
triumphed over .ill di lliculties. At the aire of sixteen he went
to Utica, N. Y., to complete his education and lit himself for
business. < )n his return he first took ;i position in the hard-
ware stores of I...L. Davies and C.. LulKdorff, of Mankato.
In 1S7S he moved to Tracy, Minn., where he eULTaned in the
hardware atul farm machiiu'ry l)usiness. \',y perseveriuLr, in-
dustr}' and <^ood mana.<;-einent Mr. l\\ans nuide a success of
this business ;ind soon became the leadiuL;' merchant there in
this line. Close .attention to priv.ate business, however, did
n<jt smother his public spirit, and ipiestions ui reform and
public enterprise ha\e always hail in him a warm champion.
In 1S'»2 he w.is the nominee id' the rrohibition i)arty bir Sl.ite
Treasurer. .\t the last > IS'Mi St.itr Convention of his partv
he was luuiuiuiousl \ eliosen chairm.in, .ind were it not lor his
jiositive refus.il he would ha\'e been its nominee for (ioveruor.
18S TUK WKI.SII IN :\[INNI-SUTA.
Press of business also comiK'llcd him to deeliilc ;i nominiitidii
for C<.)ni,'-rL'SS, unaiiimouslv Undercil him by the same party.
In the spritu,-- of 1S'I4 lie was elected Mayor (if cd' Tracy by a
g-ood maiority on the Pndii'nition ticket, thou,L;-h the balance of
the ticket was defeated by a vote of about tw.. to one, thus
showiny the very hii,'-h esteem in which Mr. I^\ans is held by
his fellow townsmen. Mr. Evans was married J'"ebruary 2o,
1880, to Miss Mary A. Evans. Denver, Col.
EVA>'S, COL. J)AVII> 31 Son of Daniel M.Evans. Ilis
infaric}- and early manhood were spent at his home at ICvans'
Mills, JeiTerson County. N. Y. He was educated in Massa-
chusetts and ^Lfraduated at Williams C(dleL;"e in the same class
with President Carlield, and beini,^ also a colle-^-emate ol Sen-
ators In yal Is, Plumb and Hitchcock. At the outbreak of tlu'
civil war he enlisted (m the first call for troops at Watertown,
"N. Y., as a private in the Thirty-fifth Keiriment, New York
Volunteers. He participated in every march, skirmish .and
battle in which the rei^iment was en<_raLred with the armv of
the Potomac, and for gallant service was rapidly promoted.
When mustered out after two j-ears' active service Col. lOvans
had the ref::iment reorganized as cavalry and it served with
the army of the James as the Twentieth X. Y. Cavalry. He
had the honor of ri<linur in .at the head oi our b>rces at Kicli-
mond and planted the old llai,'- on the capitol. He was mus-
tered out as coli>nel on July T^lst, lSf,5. After the war he
went to I'hiladelphia as the business inanai;'erof a new Meth-
odist pajter called then the "Methodist Home Journal," but
now known as the '" Stand.ard." He was afterwards a]>pointed
to a positiiin in the United States .Mint, where for fifteen
years he was one f)f, what mig-ht be called, two receiving- tel-
lers. All the bullion being- receipted by him and ji.aid for on
his fig-ures. On the election of Mr. Cleveland to the presi-
dency Col. Evans resigned his position. ni>t wishing to stTce
under a democratic administration, and went to Millbanlc, S.
D., where he boug-ht out the " News-f-etter." a democratic
paper and chang-ed it to a re])ublican journal under the name
of "Index." In 1S')1I he sold the "Index" to a stock company
and assumed editori.al cimtrol of the " .\benleen Daily News."
He was a potent factor in moulding the institutions (d' the
new state of South Dakcda. He was largely instrumental in
organizing the Congreg-ational church at Aberdeen, and tlu'
Congregational college at Kedfiehl, S. D..0I which he was .af-
terward HKule liresident, and <d' which lie is now financi;il
THi'; wKi.sii :n minnksota. 180
ag-cnt, with licadquartLTS ;it MiiiiK'aix.Iis, Minn. Col. Evans
is a tine sclii)lar, a '^ood siioakcr, and a man ol" stroni;- relig-
ious and moral convictions, whicli lie couray-eouslv and ay--
•jfressively asserts.
EVANS, i>AVII) S.— IJorn at Khavder, Ureconsliire, Wales,
January 17, 185r,. Parents were Evan and Eli/:alietli Evans,
who emigrated tt) IJeaver Dam, Wis., in jVui^ust, lS5(i. Ke-
muved to Fvowell, Wis., in the sprinLf of 1S5S, where in July
the father died. The family moved in the sprin.^' of ]S5.'i to
Columbus, Wis., and tliencc in October, 18(.(>, to Butternut
Valley, Minn., where they located on ;l farm. David attended
school at Mankato for a lime, ami in 1S7S became a clerk in
the gTocery store of K. J. Thomas, where he remained until,
May, ISS.", when he accepted the position (d' Deputy I'ostmas-
ter at Mankatt), under L. P. Hunt, Postmaster. In the fall of
ISSS he resigned to accept a position in the Crockerv store of
M. K. Jones, at ^.lankato, where he continued two years. In
September, 1SS7, he became traveliuLT salesman b)r the Stand-
ard Fiber Ware Company, which position he still holds. Sep-
tember 10, bS'Hi. married Miss Jonna A. Dunn.
EVANS, EDWAUD— Horn in ISiil, near Llanrhaider-yn-
Mochnant, Mont^-omeryshire, Wales. Oldest son of John
and Dorothea Evans. When twelve years old he lost his
father and the care of the farm devolved on him and his
mother. Married Ann Charles, of Cyno^--, in 1S2S, and thev
resided for twenty years on a farm called "Wern." 'JMience
they removed to a farm named "IJeythdir," whence after two
and one-half years, in 1S5(>, they emi^-'rate.l to the T'nited
States. After a short stay at Palmyra, O., thev located at
Weatherstield, Trumbell County, ( ). April, ISS:^ they removed
New Canada, Minn., about four miles northeast of St. Paul,
whence in the fcdl.iwiny October they came to Ee Sueur
County where Mr. ICvans died in 1S72 and Mrs. Evans in 1S7S.
They were honest, reliijfious people, whose memor',' will be
cherished loni;- and pleasantly by the idoueers.
EVANS, EDWAKI) S. — Eorn" Au-ust 2o, is.^.5, near Elan-
rhaider yn Mochnunt, Montgomeryshire, W.iles. Son of ICd-
ward and .\iiti ICv.ms, l.ite of Ottawa, Minn, Enii^^fated to
Ohio with ills p.irents in lS5o, thence to New Canada, near
St. I'aul, in A]iril ISS,,, .and thence a few months Later to
Sharon Township, Ee Sueur County. Enlisted in Comjiany
IC, Ninth Minnesota Nohmteers .VuL^ust is. ls<,2. Was taken
]irisoner at batth- of C.untown, Mi^s., in June, l.S(,4, and spent
190
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
five mouths ill Ainlcrsninillc'wlKMi he lUaiiaL^vil to csrapc ami
reached Sliermairs arm y Xo\einlier Jllst, 1S(,4. The lollowiiiL;-
Mareli he rejoiiUMl his re-iiueiit at Mobile Kav and served
until close of war. Xovemher 14. l,S(,.s. h,- married Miss Marv
A. Jones, of n.'veland. and two d.iu-liters have been born to
them, b,,th now <lca<l. Mr. and Mrs. lOvans Iiavc retired tn.m
their larm to the city ol Le Siieiir, where thev have a com-
fortable home and are much resjiected.
KVANS, lOI'IIIMA.M D.-IJorn at I'ittsbur-h. I'a., October
2(.th, IS.vS, son of David J. and Mary Kvans, ol Caermarthen-
shire, Wales, his lather havin-' been born on a larm called
"Coed r.anau" and his mother at " IJwlch-v-Coed." lie
moved to near Dod-eville. Wis., at the a-e of seventeen vears.
November :(,, 1,S(,I. .Lt Dodneville, Wis., he married .Miss Mar-
iraret Wickham. win. had be.'ii born atiireat Western, I'.i.,
and whose parents were natives ,,i Cardig-anshire. Wales.'
Au-ust l.^.th, 1S(,:, enlisted in the Til irtv-hrst Wisconsin an<l
served until close ol war. si'rvin-- with the Armv of the .Mis-
sissippi until fall ,,| \'icksbur-, then with Army^d' the Cum-
berland under (;en. Sherman. Soon alter the war he removed
to St. Paul, .Minn., where he still resi.les. Jle has been p.as-
seng-er con.luctor on the (Ireat .Xorthern Kailwav for a num-
ber of vears. .Mr. and Mrs. ICvans have two sons, K. Clark
and Daniel W., h.irdware merchants at Portland, Ore., and
three daughters, Sadie, wile of David Iv Koberts of Siou.x
Falls, S. 1)., and Marv an.l Margaret, who reside at lunne.
EVANS, i:\ \y , /'„„/:. born at Xaiitcwulle. Cardiganshire,
Wales, .May 24tli, Isl'i. son,.! Davi.l and Jane ICvans. ThJ
father was a prominent elder ol the C. M. church of IJan-
geitho. July K.th. ]S4,^, the subject .d' our sketch was chosen
elder of the same church t,. succeed his lather, who had .lied
April V)tl,, ,s4,^. [„ IS4(, he went to Kingston, IIerr,,rdshire,
to school, lie was urged to prepare lor the niinistrv, buton-
cluded to continue as an el.ler. In August, Is.s4, emigrate.l
to the Cnite.l Stales and spent a lew months at Park", near
Waukesha, Wis. In .\pril, IS.^.^ he viMte.l South Dend,
Minn., in cmp.any with Thomas J.nies . .!/,/, >w,/:.v' ,, and lo-
cated on the larm still occupied bv the lamilv near S,,uth
IJend \-illage. Julv i.th, IS.S.s, ],
Catherine .b.nes, who was also
Mr. Kvans look a verv active' na r
uircM a
■lued 1,
larrieii at Wisc^
oiisiu .Miss
native of Card
iganshire.
1 the organi/.ati(
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in it until his d
ealh. He
1. churches in i
line lOarth
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SLEEPY EYE, HISN.
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WELSH RAILROAD MEN.
THE WKI.SII IN MINNICSOTA.
191
.1 111 his
iiii Mir-
■1 A.,Sarali.
County. lie w.LS a -,,,,,1 tliiiikL-r ami able debater and was
quite iictivo in all the literary s,ieieties ,,1 S.iuth Keiid. He
was deliberate and just in jiul-n.eiU. kind and -eiien.ns in
spirit, deteriiiine<l in will, an. I eonseientKni-
Christian faith. 1 le died A pril l(,th, issi,,
vivinj,-- liis wile and six ehildren : David K..
wife of liennett Williams, .lane. Mary, late wile „i David Hei
bert, South Ilend, and lA/.y.iv, wile of Richard Wi-lev Fr
EVAN-S, |.:VAN II. dlnrn August, 1SI7. at DenairMeri.nu th-
shiro, Wales. Snn „i lln-li and Ann lOvans, who were relig-
ious people belnnuin- t.. the Calvinistie Meth.Mlist Church
and the subject, d' our sketch was carelullv nurtured in the
church In. Ill his childli 1. In IS4I he enii-rated t,. Ctica,
N. Y., where ,.n April .^tli, 1S44, he married M.irv, dau-hter
. of William and Catherine Jones, of C.elli-ddraeneii, ijanli-
hanyel Pennant I'arislu Merionethshire. 'l^lie youn- cuple
soon inove.l to ICmniel, Wis., and thence in June, bs.s.^, t"o S,.ulli
Bond^ Minn., and located ,iii a line iarm on Miniieopa Creek.
Mr. Evans took a prominent p.irt in the reli-ious history ol
the settlement. He ha.l been made an elder <d the Calvinistic
Methodist Church in 1S4') by the Sei.ui Church .,[ ICmniet, and
at its org-ani/alion in IS.^o he was called to the same ollice bv
Its namesake, the Sci,)n Church oi South iJeud. (now removed
to Judson). Mr. Kvans was a man of more than avera-e
ability, mentallv and spirituallv, and was always ready and
:f '^-^ •" ^•^•^'■>- ^- 1 ^-rl<- "^ -as a u. I singer and led in
that service in the churches with which he was connected
sijice he was ei-hteeii years of a-e. His death occurred June
22, \S<:-.. He lelt him survivin-, his wife, who still resides at
xMankato, and two sons, lO.lward and Hii-h
KVANS, (ililFFITII A.- i:.,rn at C.eli; Khyn, Llanfrathan
near IJedd Celert, Meri.niethshire, Wales, in Au..ust 1S41
Son of John and Maudalen Kvans, who rem,,ved b, t'uellvn
Llanwyd.la, Carnarvonshire, when he w.ls a year .dd Fmi-
grated to lllue Karth County in 1S(,'. ,nid after st,.pj.iii..- a lew
months at Mankato located on a farm in Judson May ls7i
married Lucy, .lau-hter of James Thomas, near Cambria'
\\is. Kemoved to Wavcrlv, Martin C.mntv, in isso Ka
taithlul member and de.icon ,.f the Christian Church ni n,,ri-
c.m, Westb.nl Township, Mi„„. His children are: Kli/a-
beth, Mar-aret, William. Kvan and Ca.lwahuler
KVAN-S, Ill(;i| -K,,,,, ,t South llend. Minn., May ^u ISSS
Son ol Kvan ][. and I'li.abeth Kvans. Received a -o,„l buM-
192 THK WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
ncss education at cdinmon stiiucils ami Curtis" IJusiness Ci>l-
leg-L' at St. Paul. September 2o, 1SS7. married .Miss Anna,
dau^jrhter .il" I'lvan ami Mary K.il.erts, n( Watertown, Wis., l,ut
formerly of Maeliyulletli, Wales, and they resi<le at Mankato,
Minn. Mr. ICvans has been eonneeted for ten years with the
firm of L. Patterson iV- C'o.. wholesale -Tocers, the last three
3-ears as a partner, and is one of the most promisinj^- youni;-
business men in Mank'ato. lie and Mrs. Kvans are acti\e
members of the Calvinistic Methodist Church.
EVAN'S, .JOSIIl'A TIIO.MAS -Was b.irn January K., 1S(,1,
in Welsh Prairie, near Cambria, Wis. Youni;est son (d' Rev.
John J. and lOleaiior C. ]C\ans. In ISi,') moved with his pa-
rents to Lime Sprin-s, Iowa. January 7th, 1S7.^, his jiareiits
and youni;- sister perished in a snow storm, and he was ielt to
care for himself. Kor several years he worked amon^- the
farmers and atteiKJed scho(d in winter. liei^-an preacliin;^-
early in ISSl ;in<l six years were spent in stuily at Lake For-
est University, Lake Korest, 111., ami at the McConnick Theo-
logical Seminary, Chicau'o, 111. ( Iraduatinsjf from the latter
April 5th. ISSS. The next <lay he went to Minneapolis to
commence on his work- as District Sujierintendent tor the
American Lible Society lor Minnesota and North and South
Dakota, a posili,,n which he still holds, lie was ordained by
the Welsh Syn<id n{ Wisconsin in October, 1SS8, and Decem-
ber M, ISS'), was married to Miss Winnie Owens, daui^-htend
Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Owens, ol' Minneapolis. He takes inter-
est in political and literary work, and articles from his pen
have been hiL;dilv commendeil.
EVANS, .JOIIN'c.— Horn January 2m. IS.^.l, at Wern, Pennant
parish, near Llanrhiadr-yu-Mochnant, Montgomeryshire,
Wales. Son of F.dward and Ann ICvans above nientioneil.
Emigrated with parents to America in November, IS.sU, and
located at Weatherslield, O. Au-ust 2d, 1S52, he left the lat-
ter place for St. Paul, Minn., where he locateil on a farm in
New Canada Township. In May, IS.^,;, removed to LeSueur
County, beinu- the first of the Welsh settlers there. In 1S(,1
married Mary, .laii-hter of K.^v. Richard J. Jones, who had
been born at Waukesha, Wis., in 1S4.^. They now have re-
tired from their lar--e and valuable farm to the. city ol Le
Sueur. Thev are an upriLTht, relii,''ious couple, who for manv
years have been active members of Pdim church, of which Mr.
Kvans is an active and ellicient elder. Mrs. Kvans is a - 1
Welsh writer and noet^'ss.
THK WKLSII IN MINNKSOTA. I'l.^
EVANS, Kiev. ,J()flN J.--i;.,rn ut Cl_v-ir. Llan.leiniolcn.
Carnarvonshire, W.iles, Au-ust, ISl'i. H^ ,,nlv had ..nc ,lay
of school, lor the next (hiy his brother was aecidentall v killed
and John was ealleil home and had to 'j;o to woric in the ((uar-
ries of Llanheris. His thirst lor knowled-e, however, was
great and he .i,'-athered a i;-ood library ami ae(|uired a fair self
education. lie took an active interest in temperance. In
1845 110 came to the United States, loeatin-: first at Hlaen v
Cae and then at Welsh Prairie, Wis. He hei^'-an preachin.y
soon after comini^- to Wisconsin, and was ordained at the
synod of the C. .\I. at Columbus, in 1S<.7. July 4, 1S55, he
married Miss IClenor C. Williams, native (d' IJodwiLTan.
Llandensant, An-lesea, Wales. In Isi.'i Mr. and .Mrs. Kvans
moved to Filmore county, .Minn., where on Januarv 7, I.s7,i,
. both were caught bv a severe bli/.zanl and froze to death with
their young-est child. Mr. iCvans was an earnest, sul)stantial
preacher and au honest, faithful christian.
EVANS, M. A., MJSS 31 A lt(; A I;I-:T .l.--l)au-hter of Dan-
iel M. and Sarah JCvans, who came fr.itn WaU's in IS.Vs. Iler
mother, whose maiden name was James, was born at Ulanha-
len, Carmarthenshire, and is sister to the wife of the Welsh
poet, A'os (Hull l\virli. Miss Kvans was born at Utica, N.
Y. In IS(,') she graduated A. 1 1, fn.m Lawrence University,
Wis. She tau-ht bir one year in IJoiiuer CoUe-re, Fo.x Lake,
Wis., and then went to Lawrence Cuiversitv as preceptress
and teacher of (lerm.tn and ICnylish. In 1S74 she was called
to Carleton Colle-e, Northfud.L.Minn.. as teacher of modern
Lang-uai,'-es and Kn!j;lish Literature, an<l in ls7,s was nuule a
professor in those branches. In the summer of 1S7.S she ob-
tained a year's leave of absence from her coUej^-e duties io
pursue some special studies in ICuroj.e. which she did in Ger-
many and Kraiice, returning;- to her classes in the fall of 187''.
The sununers of 1.SS4 and of bS'Mi she sjieiit also in Crcrmany
pursuin:.;- special stu<lies. InlS'Oshe aL,'-aiu went to ICurope
for a year (d' further stuily in Cernuinv and (Jxb)rd, ICn^-land,
and in the fall (d" lS'i,> .i^-.tin resumed her idace at Carleton as
lady principal .md professor of faiulish literature. Miss
Evans is a ladv of line i>resence, a brilliant conversationalist,
a ripe scludar, a most successful teacher and an able and
ready writer .md spe.iker. For twenty Years as lady principal
she has stood at the head of the ladies' ,k-i>artment of C.irletou
C.dle-e, and it is mostly due to her .ibilils and tact that tliis
branch of the colle-e has had such won.Krful -rowtli .md
194 THE WKLSII IN JIINNKSOTA.
success. Miss I'vvans is also a nnl.k-. tarncst christian, who
has always been an active worker in every reli,Lrious elTort
<,'Teat interest in home and toreiL;u missions and for a luimher
of years has lieen president of the woman's hoard of missions
of the Conyre-ational churches of Minnesota.
EVANS, .AlKS. .AJAKV A.- Wife of D. II. Evans, Ks(|., horn
February 17th. ISSs. at Kerlin, Wis. Her parents were \Vm.
J. and Hannah ICv.ms. In ISTOshe removed with her parents
to Emporia, K.m., and thence in 1S72 to Denver, Col., wh.ere
February 2itth. isso, she united in marriaL;e with .Mr. !C\-ans.
She is of a very kind ami i^enerous dispc.isition and is much
admired for her amiable ways.
EV^VNS, M. I>., HON. OWEN .1.— The subject of this
sketch was horn at Kenisen, X. Y. in 1S4(I. ICducated in the
Rome .\cademy and .Mbany .Medic, il I'olle-e. Went to the
army in 1S(,2 a-, assistant surLjeon, <A the 4iitli New York ami
officer at Farmeville, \'iri;-inia. At the close of the war he
came to .Minne.qxdis in lsi..s, and so far as known is the first
Cymro to settle in the city. Few have held so many impor-
tant oflices as Dr. Evans. He has been two years in the city
council, two years .i lualth ofiicer. three years a member ol
the board of education and two years a member <d' the state
Legislature. He has been president nl the Hennepin County
Medical Society and was the president of the first /:"/>/,■,/,//-',/
held in .Minneap.dis, January 1st, IS'15.. Mr. ICvans is an
active member <>i the Westminster Presbyterian church.
EVANS, HOr.lCUT (J.-Horn March istli, ls.=^4, at Tn.y,
Ind., of Welsh .md ICn-lish .aiceslry. His bovh 1 daNs were
spent at Kockport, Ind- He was eiiucated in the State I'lii-
versity at IMoomin-ton. C.immenceil to practice hiw .it \'in-
cennes, Ind., in ls7(,. In 1 sS4 he removed to .Minne.ipolis,
where he has been in the practice of his profession e\er since,
being- now a member (d the well known lirm of Keith. l'',vans,
Thompson \ F.iirchild. He takes consider.Ll>le interest m
politics and since 1SS7 has been the member for Minnesol.i of
the Kepuldican N'atioiuil Committee. He has never soui^hl
.any office for !iims,df. He h,is the ability and eneru-y to make
a success ol whaleor he undertakes. As a lav.'ver he is able.
.#
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Hon. R. (j. Evans.
MINNEAPOLIS.
J. T. Baxter.
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Wm. H. Williams.
H. P. Roberts.
GROUP OF WELSH LAWYERS.
THE WKLSH IX MINXE-SOTA. 1<»S
tlioniu;^-!! and .utivo. a line speak-cr ami (|nick of iiorccption .
as a man ho is kiml, ycnial and stri.-tly liont-st, which (juali-
ties have won him a h<,sl ni frien.l-, all over our state.
EVANS, lllA. SWIAAAM E. Corn at Cein t'aer. Pennal.
Merionethshire. Wales, May 5lii. 1S(,2. von of I.ewis and
Catherine JCvans, educated at Alurvstwvth Colle-e and at
the JJala C. M. Tlieol.i-ical Seminary. He then went to
lidinl.ur-h I'niversity, Scotland, [or a jxirtion <d' three years,
but on account of tailin- health was oi.liued to le.ave "before
fully completin-- his curse. March 4th, is'io, he married
Miss Mar-aret k:ilen Hu-lies, of Hala. Wale^. ICmi-rated to
America in the spriii- of IS'iii and located lirst at Racine, then
at Waukesha and then at .Milwauk:ee. In December, 1S'14, he
accepleil a call to the (_'. M. church ,d' Mankato, .Minn., and
be^'-an his pastoral char:.:e there on Januar\- 1st. IS'i.s. He
has had a reli^iou:. traitiiiiL: from his v<mth and bcL^ati
preachin- at his home church when is ve.ars <dd, and at the
a-e of jn he was licensed by the syuo,!. ' He is fast winniu-
prominence as.nieof the ablet preachers in liisden..mination.
K\'ANS, \V. .1. Horn Au-iist ^^K ]su\. and is tlu' son of Kob-
e-Tt J. JOvans, of I'rairie du Chien, Wi'... b>rmerl v (d' Mil wau-
kee, and a native .d' .i place near Khuthyn in Wale-. He en-
tc-red into the emplovmetit of ihe C. M. .V St. 1'. K. K. at the
shops at Prairie du (,'hien in IST'i. hi^ father beiti;.;- the super-
inten.lent (d the shojis at the time. In issu he went into the
olHce at North ,Mc( ;re-,,r. Iowa, remained there three vears.
then accepted a ].ositi,,n with the (,'.. St. 1'.. M. .S; (). K. K.,
at St. Paul, and occupied dilTerenl po-itiims with that roa<l
until ISSS, then left to accept a better positi<,n with the St. P.,
M. .S;:M. K. K.. i now l!ie(;. X. K. K., . in char-eof their Claim
Department. In ls'i2 was appointed Frei-hl Claim A-ent
and held that position until Jan u. try, IS'M. when he was
offered and acceple.l the present i.ositi,,nof Assistant (leneral
Frciy-Iit A,L;-ent. .\Ir. lOvans was m.irried September 4, ISSS,
to. Miss Ida C. .Morrison, of Prairie du Chien, Wis. J. K.
Evans, I':s(|., ,d' Milwaukee, Wis., is a brother of his father.
and the noted sin-er, Mollie Evans, is consequently his
i:VANS, I{i:\. I>A\II) i:i>A> Alfl). \. Il.-l.om nea
Oshkosh, Wis., .March 1. 1s5.^. His parents. David S. an.
196 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
Elizabeth Ev.ms, c;inio frnm Merionethshire, in 1.S47. ILiviny
received an elementary education at the common schools and
the Oshkosh lii-h school, lie complete.l colle-e course at
Kipon, Wis., in 1S77, and a Theol,.-i,-al course at Lane Sem-
inary, Cincinnati. ().. in 1SS2. He then became pastor ol the
Presbyterian church at Coalton, ()., lor one .year; at Kill.ourn
City, Wis., for lour years, and at Litchtield, Minn., lor two
years. He was next appointed Superintendent of INIissions in
the St. Paul Presbytery lor three years. For the past two
years he has been pastor of the House of Faith Presbyterian
church of Minneapolis. In 18S2 he married Miss Ma^r^ri^, A.
Evans, of Oshkosh, Wis. They have two dau-rhters, Eliza-
beth and Lillian. Mrs. Evans' mother. Mrs. Mar^-aret ICvans.
sister of the late Kev, .Morris Williams, the reU(Avned "Ni-
cander," resides with them healthy and ha])i.y in lier ei.L^ditieth
year. Mr. I'^vans is an able preacher and eflicient pastor.
<JIiIFFITIIS, .J.\.>ir:S-L,,rn at Mydrim. Carmarthenshire,
Wales, January, ls:.s. S,m of Joseph and Anna CriOiths.
Plis father was a stone mason by trade and an elder in the
Mydrim C. M. church. In lS(,(i he married Amy, dau-hter of
Levy James, an elder of the C. M. church of Sih.h, Maeslei;.
They first settled at Aberdulas, ( ;ianmori;-anshire. but soon
removed thence b) Cwm Khondda. In April, 1S7(», thev emi-
grated to America and settled bir a short time at Pittsbur-h,
West Virg-inia, and Pomeroy, Ohio, whence thev came to Le
Sueur county, Minn., in spring- of 1S72, and thence after a
few months b. Mankab., Minn., where he died December 10,
18.S;.. He was a stone mason by trade and an e.xcellent work-
man. He was made an elder of the C. M. church at Jerusalem
church, Cwm Rhondda, Wales, and ofliciated with .irreat faith-
fulness in the Welsh church at Mankato until his death. He
was a fine musician and j^a-nerally le<l in the church singing.
He, also, was very energ-etic in training young people
in music and org-ani/ing them into Ikmds of liope. He left
him surviving- his wife and their live children: Isaac, Phebe,
wife of John Owens of South Kend, Anne, wile of Owen
Roberts of St. Paul, J,.hn (now deceased), and Thomas.
(JKIFKITIIS, ,l()ll\ ,J.-i;orn at the village of Criciath,
Carnarvonshire, Wales, July lo, ls:s. His i-arents, J..hn and
Jane (iriftiths, removed when he was six years old to Llanllvf-
ni. At the age of twenty years he left' h.nne and spent two
years in Conwav and vicinity. In the spring of 1S47 he emi-
tllK WKI.SII IN MINNESOTA.
1"^^
frratcd to i;..st.in, Mass., and romaitU'd Uktc and at nuituy
until fall, when he wont in Utica, X. Y., for I'cuir inimllTs, and
then returned U> Ijdst.ni. In the fall of ]S4.S lie roniovcd to
C(.)l uni lius tow nslii !>.
Dodg-e county, Wis., where
he purchased a farm. He
continued. ho\\-e\er, to
follow the stone mason
trade for a few years alter
this — work-in^;" ^e\en sum-
mers on llle Institute for
the Hlind at .lanesville.
Wis., and three years
bridi,'-^. l.nil.linLT lor the
Chicaifo iV C.alena Kv. at
Kockford and Scales
Mound, 111. lie also
spent one winter at New
Orleans. N,,v. (,, is.V^, at
New ])i--ins. Wis., lie
m.-irried lOlizaheth.dau-li-
ter of Thomas .lenl<ins,
of Pontyruv. Card i^;- .in -
shire, " Wales, who
had emii^'-rated to Wiscon-
sin in 1S41. Seiliu-- his
farm at Columbus he reached .Mankato March 1.^. 1S(,'». and
soon settled on a lari,'-e farm in Judson. In November. 1SS(,,
he retired from his farm t(. Mankato, where he and his "nod
wife now reside in L;-ood circumstances am
their integrity of cliaracter. Tlieir chih
Jane A., wife of F. A. Peterson, of Ch
ward and Sjiencer.
lARinS, l).\MI-:i. L.— n,,rn at Cilcwm C.annarthensliire,
Wales, in 1S,",2. Son of Wm. an<l S.arah Harris. EmiL,'-rated
to Wisconsin in 1S5(. and soon there;ifter located at I.at'res-
ccnt, Minn. In 1S(,4 married Miss IClizabeth Humphreys, ,,f
Waterville, Wis., and same year removed to Cambri.i, Minn.
His wife died July ?,, 1S77. March Id, 1SS2, he married Mrs.
Marjraret Kvans. Had eii^-ht children by his first wife, three
of whom have died. Ilew.asa member of Salem Com,'-, church
at Cambria, .and is now of the Welsh churcii at l.ake (,'rvsial.
l!y hard, honest toil he iuis accumulated considerable projicrtv.
It'
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JOHN J.
1 esti'cmed lo
re: J(.lin K.
William. !•:,]
l')S TlIK Wia.SH IN MINNi:sfiTA
In 1S',)2 hi-' retired I'rom the fiirin ami i.tirehasecl a pleasant
homo at hake Crystal, where he and Mrs. Harris now reside.
ir.MMtlS, D.W'in L. Sell ..r Wm. and S.irah ] larris herein
mentioned. Korii n.ar (.'ikwni, ('arin.irtlienshire. Wales.
Deccmher 27th. ls,;s. i'hnin-rated with his p.-ireiits to l.al'res-
cent, Minn., in 1S.^s and tlieii tn Camhri.i. Minn., in the
sprin<^' of ISii.^. Married .Miss Sar.ah \Vinn, of .Icdlerson
county, Wiseonsin. .lanuary 2.Mh, is^s. uho died .Inne .-th.
1SS'». " Mr. Harris, like his i.n.ther Daniel, lias ].y h..nest t,>il.
possessed himself nf a larL;-e larin and nuieh other property.
lie is ;l worthy and taithlul iiieniher ol the Saleni Conure^-a-
tional eluirch. His ehildren are: William, .hdm, Sarah Ann,
Hattie and .Mary .lane.
II.MtlMS, WM. Uorn at K'h.andir .Mwvn near Cil (,'win. Car-
marthenshire, Wales, l-'ehruary .^rd, lsn4. His (larents were
named Wm. H. and Catherine Harris. .Married in 1S2(, Miss
Sarah Lewis. When al.ont twenty-li\e years (dd he nnited
with the C. M. ehiireh ol C.osh.ii in hi- n.ative town, .\hout
1S.;(I he removed to a plaee ealh'd KMiandir i lanol near Haiit-y-
Celyn. In Sejileiidier, IS.^^S. emigrated to LaCreseent. .Minn.,
where he lived until the sjiriiiL;- of ISi.S, when he emi^'rated to
Cambria, Minn. There he ,lied .I.inuarv 24, IS'(2. Mr.
Harris w;is a (|uiet, industrious man. r.itlu-r oriirinal in his
ways hut of ,L;Teat xeal and hospit.ilitv toward ( loiTs eause.
For hve or six years prior to the ereetion of its house of wor-
ship in 1S71, he opened the door of his Ik. me to the Salem Coii-
g-re.i^^ational cliureh to hold .ill its Sund.iv ,ind midweek- ser-
vices in free of ehar-e. His ehildreii are: William. Daniel,
David, John, Th.niias and lOvan L. Harris and .Marv, wife of
Hu.-rh J. Williams, Tnuy, Minn.
D.Wll) K. nO'»"fl':LL.' Horn Kehru.arv 2s. is.^i,, at Cam-
bria, Wis. His i.arenls were David and .Mar-arel Howell,
his mother beinu'.a sister of J. ],. ( )wens. of Minneapolis.
Attended the district school .iml worked on the farm and
stuilied for three years. 7(i-7s. at Kipon colleire. Was in bus-
iness witli his brother at Cambri.i fc.rsome time sel linu" ma-
chinery. In the r.ill of 1S7'> cime b. Minneapolis and worked
for the Minneapolis Har\ ester Coinp.in v. The followin-- ye.ir
formed a partnership with his brother, K'obert R. Howell, un-
der the name of R. K. Howell .V Co., ,ind for bmr years were
jobl)ers for threshin- m.uhiiie -oods ^-xcliisively. In 1SS4 .i
i;-eneral line of farm machinerv w.is .idd.'.l and .a l.ir-e whole-
sale and ret.iil busiiirss was carried on .a 222 Washin-tou
THK WKI.SII IN ^nXXKSOTA. I't')
avenue. In ISSi, they 1)ei;-;in inaiuila.-turini,'- and in IS'Mi l.'uilt
a lar.L;-e nianul'acUirin!;- i)lant iin Tliirlielli avenue southeast
and I'^il'th street, where Inmi 5(1 to IdO men arr kejd eonstanti v
at work. Ill IS'M the store on Washinulon avenue was movrd
to the eorner of Wasliiui^^ton and Sveond avenue nortli in or-
der to have a hir-er huihlin-. David K. has ehar-e of Ih.,
business ileii.-irtiiient and ;lirou,i;h eeouoiny, eiieri^-y and jier-
soveranee has w.n-ked up a hir;;c trade.
IIOWICLL, UOIIIOKT II. Horn Mareh u. lS.s4. S.m of
D:ivid and Mari^aret 1 lowell, and a. nephew on liis motlurs
side of J. L. Owens, of .Minneapolis. Worked on tlie farm in
his youth and in a<l.iilioii to the dislriet seliool sjient two years
ness witli liis in'other in Cambria. \Vi-., .in<i came to Minne-
apolis in the fall ol ]s7'iand worke.i b.nbe .Minneaipoli.s ll.ir-
vester Company. In bs'iii formed .i eo-partuersiiip with
his brotlier, D.ivid K.. un<!er tlie n.ime ,,f K. K. lb, wells .V-
Co., whicli still exists. .See D.ivid K. ib.>.veH.) Kobert R.
has an in\enti\e mind ami has eliarL'-e of tin m.'uiufaiturin;,'-
and niechani.-.d department ol the business. In b'-;s2 he in-
vented the Howell (;rain KeL;isler, in lss4 .i tank ■i)umi) for
for tlirashiii!^- machiiie purjioses. In iss7 h.e' invented a sep-
arating; part on a ihreshiiiL;- maehine. and later a Koller Feeii
Mill. In addition to these he has numerous improvements in
various lines, and. tlie untiriny eiieri^-y which he has shown
well deserves the success which he has attained.
HUCJIILS, r.VKON.— jlorn at Cambria. Wis., Aus^-ust 14tii.
bS(,(), s<m of Hon. Kobert H. Hu-hes. He was educated .at
the common schools and at the .Mankato Slate Normal School.
Studied law and was ailmitted to pr.ictiee in May, iss,-,.
Married Miss Annie IC. J.ames, of Kin-->. 111., in December,
18S5, and be,L;-an the practice of his profession at Tracv, .Minn,
After two years he reinoveil to .Mankato. He was
elected county attorney (d' IJlue ICarth county in the failed'
IS'M) and held the office for two ye.-irs. Was elected special
jud<.,'-e <d' the municipal court of .Mankato in -;V])ril. is'i,;, |,,r
the term of three years. He and his brother Wm. I'", are'
members of the well known law lirm id' Hughes, Kice iV
Ilui^-hes. at .Mank.ito.
Ill'<;ill-:S, DAVID- Korn at 1 kmc-eithin, Cardiganshire,
Wales, March 1, ls;,l. 11 is ]i.irent> were .b.liii and .\iin
Hti-dies. After residin;,'- some time . at l'ant-v-bedd,iu, Ll.in-
200 TIIK WKI.SH IN :\IINNKSOTA.
badarn Facli, in the saiiic sliiro lu' ciniuraU'tl in Is.iS to the'
IL.rol) Tieis-lil'nrlio.Kl, Jackson loiinty, (>., ami rcniowd IVoin
there with the Jackson cohmx to r<e Sucur county, Minn., in
May, 1SS(.. Marcli 2i., 1S(,.;, he niarrieil Miss Mar-'aret,
daiig-hterof Evan and Jane Crifliths, ..f he Sueur conntv. Mr.
and Mrs. Tlu-iJies are laithlul and eiieruetic nienihers of ICliui
church, and have been niucli ^irospiTed in all their wavs.
They have had nine children, six (d" whom .are nou- livin-.
lli:(jilI':S, .>li;S. n.Wll) i;orn in Jackson countv, ().. in
1S44. Ilerlatherwasa native olTal far in the jiarish oT Trelihir,
Cardi^-anshire, Wales, where he had been born in October.
1S04. Son of Thomas and M.iry Davies who were worthy
members. .f IJ.mueitho church, lie m.arrii.l J.ane. .lan-liter of
\Vm. an.l Mar-aret Jenkins, nf Kremelyn, Llan-eitho, in the
summer ol' lS,;i, ,ind in 1S47 emiur.ited Ui Jacks., n cmnlv. O.
As there were many .d his name .m the slii]> lie chanu'.-.l his
surname i'r.mi "D.ivies" to '•( iriftiths" .m.l ever afterwards
kept his assumeil name. 1 [<• was a ]>rominent an.l use in 1 mem-
ber of the C. M. chiinh, ami .lie.l in Le Sueur ountv, Feb-
ruary 24, 1S7.V
IIi;<jiir:S, ICN'.W - r.,,rn February 'i. 1S(,2. at Cambria,
Minn. Son of Henry ;in.l VA\y.:i Hughes. Ivlucate.l ;it his
home sch.wd. District N.i. 11, an.l :i t Carlel.m cdh'i^e. Was
I)rincii)al .d' the l-Vanklin :in.l I'leasant (In.ve sch.Mds at Man-
kato lor three years, an.l <d' the Lake t_Vystal schiu>l bir .me
year. Read law in his hmther's .,riice ;it .Mankat.> ami w.as
admitted t.) ]>ractice in M.iy. isni. .m.l has been asso-
ciated with his br. "tiler. Tli.is. Hughes, in the law business
ever since. He is a ltoo.I sini^-'er ami has been a verv efticicnt
and faithful member .d" the (,'.)n!.;Tei,^ati..nal church choir b.r
years.
IIIMJINOS, III':M{V- r...rn June 4th, bs:,,-,, ,it Trede-ar,
Monmouthshire, S. Wales. His parents were n.ime.l Thomas
and Mary nun;-hes. 'IMie father was a native .if Aberystwyth
and operated a coal mine in Sirh.iwv. K.dh parents were
very reli^-i.ius an.l t.i.dv activt' ]iart in church matters. The
father boinj,'- one of the first deacons .d' "ICbenoier"" C.nifre^^a-
tional church of Sirhowy. Indh .lied when Ileiirv was ijuite
youuR-. In July, IS.^l, he emii^Talcl t.. .Miners\'ille near Pom-
er.)y, Ohi.), where he w..rke<l in the ...al min.'S. 1S.=;:. he-
married ^Hss l':iiza, .laUL,'-hter .d' J.)lin an.l Elizabeth Davis,
of IJanarth Car.li-anshire. In ls54, .m a.lvice .d' Kev. J, din
H. Jones .-in.l at rcpU'st .if I'omer.iy churches he lie^'an preach-
.if
the
LS.
II.'
111.1
\va^
11.1
tiMik
ten
K'ut
tu
(■lllV
TUT. WI'U.SII IN MIN'NICSOTA. 2»>1
ing-. In Dctohor, 1S55, ho removed with his wife nml child 1..
Jiulsoii, IJltU' ICarth rounlv, Minn., and in the f,>llnwini;- June
they loeated.ni their In.mrstead in theiTeseiit t..\vn . ,H aml-ria.
He atoiu-e took a most aetive part in all the alTairs ..t the
now settlement, 1m. th leiiii.nral ami spiritual. At the re.|UOst
of the Saloni ('.mL;reLrati..iial eluireh h.' l.e-an preaehin.,'- lor
it soon after his arrival ami o..ntinue.l P. <l..s..at intervals
until the Indian ..ntl.reak ..fis.,:. l''ri.m Aul^usI ISi.Zuntil
Januarv 1S(,7 he was p.isfniasler ..f the Ihitleriuit \'.illev p..st-
oflioo. "lie was very aetive m the eause ..1 .■dueali,.n ami was
repeatedly a niemhor ..f the sell....! l...ar.l ami nui.
success of the famous I »islriet X. .. 11 w.is.hi,; t.. his ell
took much interest in tliew..rk- . .1 1 lu' ilihle S..eiet\
treasurer of the li.eal society l..r ..ver twenty vears
made life meml.er l.v the parent s, .ciel v. He lik.M
mucli interest in Suml.av scli.iol work ami was super
of the Salem t~. mure^ationa 1 Sun.l.iv srh....l f.ir ..v.
years. In IS.S'i he retire.l fr-.m his larm ami huilt hiiii a
pleasant home in the city oi Mankat.., where ho m.wresi.les
with his ostimalile wile. Their chil.lreii are Th,. mas .ami
Evan Iluirhes, Lawyers, Mankat.., Minn.: Henry. I. llu-Iies.
residin.,-- on the ol.l liomestea.l in faml.ri.i; Mary A. wif.' ..f
Uavid \<:. i;.iwen. Ilann.ih .i., wii,' ..I lOvan I'rico, All.ort V...
student at Carleton cllesj^o an.l .Mice an.l Liz/io llu-hes.
His lias hoon an useful christian life.
IIIKJIMOS, lir<Jll I). i:..rn at Minersville, Pa., Fohruary
.•^, 1S47. S..n of K..iiert K. an.l (."atherine Hu-hes i t'ali f. .r-
nia). Came t.. Ju.ls.,n. Minn., with his parents fn.iii f.-rta-e
Prairie, in 1S(,7. Marrie.l .Mari;-aret, .lau-htor ..f K..l.ort Rob-
erts, of Ju.lson, Minn., April, lS7o. l•^.llowed farmin,!;- for
a few years, hut haviiiL;- learno.l the carpenter's tr.ado ho re-
moved to J^Iankato in 1SS(, .and has since f..llowod this occu-
pation in which ho is .piite ]>r.)licient. Like his father he is
passionately fon.l of music and has a l;-.....1 tenor voice. IIo
has traineil .an.l led several cln.irs t.. victory in musical cm-
tests, and has char-'o ..f the music at the Welsh church at
Alankato. Tlis .lau-litor, Jennie, is als.. deveh.pin-- much
musical .ability— v.. c.al and instrument.al. She is the ..r-aiiist
at the Welsh church an.l h.as suni;' in a numher of immiinent
choirs.
IIU<;ill':S, l{l':\'. HICII.MM)- I'.orn at Talyllvchaii. l,'.ir-
marthenshiro, Mav S, lS2.s, an.l is the s.m .d' the Lite K'cv.
Davi.l llugJios, IJanolli, South W.iles. His mother w.is ,i
Kiel
ar
1 navies. C
Li.i.
IK
ciiine
> l"n
m a
L;rfo
m W traro.l
til
the
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nicdi
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• irrit
1
it IvlanWvhi
e il
th
• same
shi
•e t(
May
2
, !S47. 'Ph
ey
i.av^
lour
>(ins
an.l
livin
C.I
Mr. II. I.e.
as a prea.
■.in
lier
ill
IS.^d.
the
iml
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11 w.
irk
(il the mil
islr
\- 111
the C
ihin
istic
t LI;
UK
eiln, S. Wal
■s it
1 tlu
s.^s.
He
nati
eoiiiity ti>r
en
yea
s, tr.n
1 |S(
1 to
LiTal
•d
t.. Aiuerie:
.in
(1 Ik
■came
.ast<
ir ol
urrl
y lui
1
in r.e Siiei
■ ur years.
r e.
In
.Ma
, Mini
•, 1S74
he
lere
to..k
dau.LThtcr of Ke-
family whose jh
mists. He was
Miss Sarah Kees. M:
five (lau-iiters all
pel in 1S4,S, was i
ordained to the fi
Mcth(.<list church ,•
was pastor in his
l.STO, when lu' em
Elim and Saroii c
he scrve<l faithful
charge of Salem church. Fvorii^- Creek, Iowa, as suieessor 1o
Rev. Orillilh KoI.erts. He served this church with suicess lor
-ten years. At this time Hctliel church was huilt in the
northern part .d' the settlement and Mr. H. became its j.astor
in 1SS4, serving- it until compelled by ill health to resiL,ni in
\H')?s. His labors, care and success in superintending;' the
missionary work id" the . hurch in the west has been so ure.it
that he has been h.>nored with the title, ••the bishop,,! the
west." He \isite(l his nati\e countr\- in 1SS4, .and w. is warmly
received hv his old friends .and assoi-i.ites. No minister of
the g-ospel amon;.;- the Welsh people is better kmiwn in Wales
and America than Mr. HuL;-hes. For a few years he has been
almost totally blind ,ind the Welsh people. ;is ,in expressi.m
of their sympathy with him in his allliclion and (d appreciation
of his i,'-reat ser\ices, li.i\e recently i;i\-en him a testini<inial of
over one tlious.and dollars.
lir(Jlll':S, i;<)i;!':irr l-:. a'alifomia.i Horn at Porthma-
doc, Carnarv.mshire. Wales, December 20. ispi. His parents
were P^van and .lane Iluuhes. His father was a wea\er by
trade and soon after K'obert was born went to li\-e at I'^estin-
iouf. When a yoiuiL;- man Kobcrt left home to work in the
coal mines of Merthyr Tydlil, and about is.^'i he emi.i,'-rated to
xVmerica, settlitiL;' in 1 'ennsyl\-ani;i where he married at I'otts-
ville in 1.S42. Catherine. dauL;-liter of William and Catherine
Davies, who were from Dowlais ( ;iaiimoruansliire, Wales. In
1S4') he went to the California 'nM lidds. He remained there
until 1S.=^], when he returned and rein.>ved his family at once
to Porta^re Prairie, Wis., where he imrchased a ij-ood farm.
In ISfiThe remoxed toJudson, Minn., where he au-ain eni^ML^'-eil
in farming-. In the spring- (d' ls7i> he received a severe stroke
of paralysis which clouded his intellect. September 2'i, of
,^c
4,
V'f ////■■■
Re\. Richard I1ii'j;hes.
TflK WKI.Sir IN MIN-XF.SaTA. ^Ho
the same year liis wile died, and li.- Inlluwcd lier to the better
hmd Deeeniber i;., issl. llv'wasa inan.d' inorctlian ordinary
ability and Innk mm h intcr.^t in l-'.i.lciJ l'n,l,t,i and literature.
also a laithlul rl.lrr nl the (.'. M. eliur. h b.,- years. His sur-
vivin.iT ehildren are: Ihi-li D.. -Martha, AKxandor and
James.
Ill'<ilII-:S, ll<>\. ItOIll'Mri' M. Ilorn at Llanuwehlin, Mer-
ionethshire, WaKs, n.eend.cr 2'i, is,;:. His par.-nts werc^
named IIui;di and .\nn II 11- ius a nd wore anK.n;.;- the old si't-
tlers of i;iue ICarlh eounly. .Minn. He ..iniirrated with his
parents to the v ieinity oT Ttiea. X. Y., in the siirini,'- <d' l.S4(..
. Thence he reni,.ved "(.> XeKon. M.idi-on e,mnt\, N. Y. H,-
was married to .Miss Hannah 1 uini lord, d.ai-hter -d'Williani
Biimford, ICs,|., ol' rtiea. .\. Y..in Oetober, IS.s,;. In 1S,S4
they removed to I'ambri.i, Wis., where thev resided until 1S(,2
when they eanie to I'.lue ICarlh eountv, Minn., .arrivinL;- in the
town ol' Judson where they located on a larni on the dth dav
of September of that vear. In IS(,.s he removed b. bis present
farm in the town ol" t'ambria. .Mr. Iluiihes is .a man of -dod
ability and has alwavs taken a verv active part in the jioiiti-
cal ahairsol' his comnumitv, ami has almost continuouslv held
ofticc in his nuuiicipality- I'or eii^-lUeen years he has been on
thelM»ard(d' suiiervis.irs- i^enerally as chairman, twentv-li vi-
years he was justice id the peace. Twice he was elected
member (d' the slate le-islature in IS74 and bsT.s. His child-
ren are Mrs. M.iry A., widow .>! Kev. D.ivid D. Jones, Tracy.
Minn., Ilu-h H. Ilu-hes.d' Lyon county, \\m. V. and Hyr.in
Hug-hes, lawyers, .d Mankato", Minn., Mrs. Amelia Ha'rris,
wife of Kvan L. Harris .,1 Caml^ria. .NHnn., ICrnest an<I
Llewelvn lIuL;hes of tlie s.mie place.
IIL-(Jlli;S, IM-:\-. WOiJICirr W.-^Is a native ..f North Wales,
and was born l>ecember 21, 1S41. His father's nanie was
William Hutches, and his mother w.is the oldest d,iui,'-hter of
the late i>atriarch, Iluuh K..berts. .md sister (d" the l.ite Tlios.
II. Koberts, (d' I'roscairon, Wis., all b>rmerlv from Carnarvon-
shire, North Wales. When he was but two years old his
father lost his life accidentally in the Dinorwic (piarries. In
about a year afterwards the widowed mother and her b.ur
children emi-iMted to .\nieric,i, settliuL;' in the northern part
bovs. Robert attended the district sch.iol durinu' the winters
204 THE WKI.SII IN MINNKSOTA.
and worked on the farm in the suninKM". In IShl he atttenile<l
a graded soho.d at Oshk.ish, Wis., and then attended school
for a nnniher of years at Wayhind rni\ersil_v, I'.eaver 1 >ani,
Wis., intermittinL;' terms of stiidv with terms of farm work-
and teachin^r. In tlie year 1S71. at I'^oreston, Iowa, where
the family had remo\-ed, he eommeiued his career as .a
preacher of the !,'-()spel, and in the year ls74 was ordained to
the full work <d' the ministry by the Welsh Svnod ,,f Minne-
sota, convened at .Ferusaleni. .Iiidson. Minn. In 1S7." he
became pastor of the WeKh cliurch at Clay t'ounty, low.i. He
served as jKistor of the church at Dawn, Mo., in lS7o, and
was pastor of his old home cluirch at I'^oreston, Iowa, from
1S7(« to 1SS1, , a period of live years. < Jwim,-- to certain cir-
cumstances, ,,[ wliich we med not write, Mr. lhiL;hes. in 1SS,^^,
- united with the (.'on!4Tei,'-ation;[l Association of Iowa, an<l
became ]>astor id a Conj,^rei:ation,al church at I'olk City, near
Des Moines. After servintr this ch.ari^e for ,i lime he was
appointed pastor at lar-e l'(-.r the state of Iowa. In ISSO
he was chosen .leleuale to and attmded the World's Sundav
School Convention al f-ondon, f'.iiul.ind. In October, ISSO,
he was appoinUd <iistrict sup.-rin trndeiit of the American
IJible Society for the State n( I,,w,i, in which work he is
now cni,^ai,'-ed with mark-e<l success. AlthouL;-h hrok'en down
in health he holds t., his work with the tenacitv of love.
lirCJIIIOS, 'niOS. - Lawver, born at Minersville, ().. Septem-
ber 2.N lS.s4. Son of Henry and IClix.a Hu-hes, who rem..ved
to Ulue Karth countv, Minn., in October, is.^n, an<l h.'cated on
a farm in Cambria township the followin^r .hine. Thomas
remained on the home farm and attending- school in District
No. 11 until January, 1S74, when he entered the I'reparatorv
department of Carleton colle-e, Norlhlield, Minn. He i,>-rad-
uated A. 15. from this colKue in isso. Kead law with Waite
& Porter at Manlcato, .Minn., .and w.as admitted to practice at
the May term of the District Court, 1S,S2. I'urchasin-;- the
law library of Jud<,'-e Waite he at once commenced the prac-
tice of his profession at Mankato. l''ormed a law partnership
with M. C.. Willard in l"\bruarv. Iss4, which continued until
July, 1SS7. November 25, 1SS,=;, he married Miss Alice ().,
daughter of Amos P.. and Sybil 1!. Hills, of Faribault, iMinn.,
who was a L,>-raduate of Carleton colleire in the class of bSSl.
They have two children: Hurton K. and Kvan Raymond.
nr<;ilI':S,Tll()AIAS-i;,,rn ne.ar llode.lern, An-Iesea, Wales,
in 1S2S. Son .if Wm. and ICIi/.abeth Hu,u-hes. His f.ilher was
^
; ■',
1
1 -'•
;
.
1
1
(i
'--IX fN
l.'
^ -
>
/ '' ' '
i
. 1
'- '
-^
r
>
'^
t
^..
^■
-^
■ ^^
'V
Thos. Hujriies.
Rowland \V. Price.
Jl DSUN. MIXN.
Oriflith J. Lewis.
Griffith V\ illiam<
-''^^
-^^. '
4
■i'Tf.
\^
u
■ ^V
\)
\ ■-.
%
Wm. P. Lewis.
PERINTEXDENT IIF HM i; K.\[:TII riiLNT\ PdOR FARM.
Mrs. Wm. P. I.
rir. and Hrs. Evan Uowen.
-<
>~.^ \
- { /
V
LDanlel T. Bowen.
-StIKRIFF OF lll,l!l'; EARTH COUNT
THK WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 205
a brother of KoI.ltI Ilui^du-s, NcuatM-y-Mawd, author of "C,V//
Oy/iiys!^:" When he was fi\-e years old his jiarents reinoved
to the vilhiye of IJiukderil, where for four years he attended
school- He then spent live years with his unele and aunt,
Tyn-y-Cae, LhLnfwroy, and the next four years were ])asscd
with Dr. Roberts, JNIynyddj-.i^of, a very reli!j:i<ius inan. \Vhile
here at the aj^'e of fourteen years lie united with the C. M.
church of liodedern. After leavin-- the employ of Dr. Kob-
erts he spent some time with Tliumas Owens, Tyn v Cae.
When twenty years oUI his brother, Owen llu;,rhes, who was
a sailor, induced him and all tlie family toemi;.^rute to L\t)nia,
Wis. In December, IS.si), he returned to Wales and married
Miss Jane, daug-hter of William and lili/.abeth Koberts. Kl-
turning' the youn^-- cou])le located <in a farm in Ixonia, Wis.,
for five years, thence they moved to ILin^or, Wis. for seven
years, and thence in ISdl t(.> .Unison. Minn. In ISdT ihev re-
moved to Mankato and Mr. Ilu-lie-. was ai>p<.inted Deputy
ShcritT, which ofliee he held lor four years. In bS70 he re-
moved tt) a farm in South Dend. In isss lie and Kev. Jolin
W. Koberts made an extended visit to North and South Wales,
and a number were induced by them to emigrate to Dlue
Earth county. In IS'i] lie retired from his farm and built a
tine residence at Mankato where he and Mrs. Hughes now re-
side in ciinifortable eircumstanees. They are worthy members
of the C. M. church ,,[ Mankato and Mr. llu-hes has been a
prominent ehler in the church for vears.
lirtJIIKS, KIA . TIIOS. !<:. Was born at Clvnno^-, Carnar-
vonshire, North Wales, June 27, 1S44. He is the llrst born<d'
eig-ht children, live on whom are now living-, llis father is
Mr. Benjamin llu-^hes, of Columbus. Wis. He came with his
parents to the United Slates in the summer id 1S45. The
family settled at Cidumi)us, Wis., where Mr. llui^hes contin-
ued to reside till the year ISf.S. He received his education in
the common schools of the day and at Wayland rniversitv, a
Baptist institution not far from his home. He served in the
Union army for about three years — from .\uL,'-ust, 1S(,J, to
July. 1S()5 — in Company (1, Tweiil\-tliird Kei^-imenl. Wise<'n-
sin Volunteers. He commenced preacliini;- at Salem ehureli,
Colunil)Us, in 1S(,(,; was received by Dresbyterv in ISdT, and
ordained, with the Rev. Wm. Maelino Jone->, at Cambria,
Wis., in 1S70. He was united in m.-irriai^'-e to Miss (irace
James of the same jilace in isi.s, who was a helji-mate for
him until her decease in AuL;'ust. IS'C. l-'roin the vear^ ISf.S
306 THE WICLSII IN MINNESOTA.
tt) 1S73 ho was cn^-aycd in mission work anioiiL;- the I'VcodiiU'ii
in the states of Arkansas and Missouri, under the aus])iei.s ol
the American Missionary association and the Welsh I'reshvte-
rian Svnod of Wiscn-^in. For nearly the tollowini,-- two years
he resided ai^-aiii at his (dd h.>uie in Wisconsin. In 1.S74 he
accepted a call to the Willianishuru' and Welsh I'rairie
churches in Iowa wdiere he served as pastor tor fourteen years.
In 1.SS8 he removed to Minnesota. accejitinL;- a ]iastorate of
Bethel and Il.irel. churches in IJlue ICarth ounty, where he
still ministers. He has three chiMren and an adopted daugh-
ter daug-hter, viz.: Mas^'-jrie J., K'ohert L., IJennie 1).. and
Mary E. In 1S,S4 he paid a visit to his native country.
m'<jiM':S, TIIDS. i;. i;,,rn at Columbus. Wis., in IS.^4. His
fatlier, Kicliard A. Ilu-hes, was Ironi Dala, Merionethshire,
Wales, and his m..ther. ICleauor . Jone-, . Ilu-hes, was Inun
Deilhiirhshire. In June, 1S7(), he entered the service ot the
W. & St. P. Ky. as hrakeman. He then Worked lor a lew
months in 1S7.^ l.^r the H. I). C. Kv. and in Deceiiiher (d" that
year went to Texas in the employ ,,i the H. T. C. Ry. fame
back in 1S7.=- .uid worked auain lor the C. M. iV- St. 1'. Kv.
until 1S77 when he went on the O. .V M. Ry., between Cin-
cinnati, ().. .md \'incennes, Ind. In 1S7S accepteil a position
on the C. lV X. W. Rv.. with which he still contiues as pas-
seni^-er conductor. Oct. .her M). ISSii, he married Miss Hen-
rietta Courthard. at Wa>eca, Minn. They have three child-
ren: .\rchi.f.ald, I'Uhel and ICarl.
Iir<im-:S, \V."^L l\ Uom at Camhria, Wis., M.ay 17. IS.^S.
Son ol Hon. R. H. Hu-hes. Spent a number ..1 years at the
State Normal svliool at M.mkalo and the Stale I'niversitv at
Minneapolis. Re. id law with Krown ^ Wiswell.ot Mankat.i,
and was admitted U, pr.ictice Mav 17. 1SS2. Opeiie.l an kH'm:^
at Ipswich, South D.ikota, in partnership with .i Mr. Rowlee,
as Rowlee .V Hu-hes, which continued b.r seven vears. Mar-
ried Miss Susie S. Strait in January, 1SS5. In April. IS'iii.
he removed to Fairhaven, Wash., and lornied a law j.artner-
ship with (leo. Rice .is Rice \- Hu-hes. He was city attorney
of Fairhaven durim;- ls'il-2. In the spnn- ol IS'i,^, ,x.,nove.l
to Mankato and formed ,i partnership with his brother, Hvrou,
as Iluo-hes llros. Mr. Rice came to Maukato in 1S'»4 and
joined the linn its name beini;- ch.mued to Hii-hes, KMce \-
Ilu-hes. Thev enjoy a -oo.l i-ractice.
III'IJIJI'.S, W.M. !J.' Horn at H.ouia. Wis., Mav s, is.^;..
Ti;i': \vi;i,sn in mi
toJudsiiii, Minn, in llic fall <.l' ISi.l ami ronicvod willi tlicni
to Maiikatn in ISf,'*, wIktc lie attmikd the State Normal
schonl r,,r four years. He then worked seven years f.ir i;.
Tuttle in the lianlware luisiness at Mankato. He then bou-ht
his father's tarni in South llend and operated it tor six vears.
May •), ISSl, he married .Miss Tpn plioena. dan-hler of .lolni and
Eliy,al)etli I.ewis .d Ixonia, AVis. In isss he retired tmm his
farm and l.iiilt .i very h.indsome resilience in the city of Man-
kato, and enL^aLi'ed in the life insurance luisiness, workiiii,'- for
the Northwestern .Mulu.il Lifeoi Mihvankee and other com-
panies. In IS'i.'. he became afllicted with a cancer on the
neck, which linallv caused his death on February 4. IS't.^.
lie was a man .d' snlendid business eneri^v, id' excellent char-
acter and a faithful member of the Welsh church. lie left
him survivini;- hi^ wife and, two cliildr.n, 'I'homas and ilessie.
II ['(^mOS, WILLI. \.M S, i;..rn at Ty t'ochyn, Llanrhvdd-
lad, An.u-lesea, W.iles. Februarv 7, 1S42. When about thir-
teen years old was .apprenticed .is puju'l teacher in the llritish
school of the parisli. After leavin- this scho.d he entered
the employ ,.,f a coiiiinission merchant in South Castle street.
Liver[.ool." Knii-rated in .May. 1^(.4, in Ttica, N. Y., and
thence in the spriiiu; n\ jSi.S to Ibitternut X'alley, Minn., ami
located on his farm in Section 4, where he still resides. Mar-
ried Catherine, d.iu-hter of Ilu-h K'. Williams, of Cambria,
Minn. He has hehl ,i number .d ofiices in his town and dur-
ing- bsT't, ISSM and ISSl was cuintv coinmisshnier .d llhie
Karth county. He is a man (d' -ood education, and much
forceof character. He is also a faithful and priJiniuent mem-
ber of Kethel C. .M. clinrch.
ISAAC, KI':V. i{l<'!IAIM)-i;orn at IJwvn-y-Ci near Hala
Merionethshire, Wales. His earl v da v. were spent at ( iwv-
(Idelweru, workin-' in his father's lda>ksniilli shop. When
he was sixteen ye.irs old his f.ither died .iiid he carried on the
work alone. 1 (ecember 4tli, I.s4ii. he married Miss lOlizabeth
Kol)erts, of TMUint ( i wy.ldehveni. a most estimaliie youni;
woman. In the sninnier .d !S4: tlie\ eiiii--rated to .\merica,
settlin,!4- at 'I'reiiton, Oneida countv, N. \'., where he worked
at his trade .ibout two years. Ik- then reiiiovoved to I'tica
where he continue. 1 at the blacKsinitli trade for ten vears. .\t
f'tica, .ibout 1S52, he be-an to pre.icli at the C. M. churches.
In 1S54 he removed to Hryn Mawr. where he rem.ainud until
.\pril, IS.;;, when he v/eiit to t,ii:e charL;-e of the churches at
208 THE WELSH IN MlNNl'.SOTA.
Y. Ho was onlaineil at the C. M. SvikhI which met at IhWn,
in 185S. The next sprini;- he removed b> South Treutun, N.
Y., hut after nine years he returnetl a.i,'-aiu to his ohl pastorate
with the churches in r^ewis countv. In March. 1S74 ho
accepted a call to the church of Foreston, Iowa, where he
continued until his death which occurred l-'eliruarv 7th, 18'»2.
Ho was possessed ot an excellent memory and stron,!^- reason-
ing- faculties which fitted him specially for doctrinal i>reach-
ing-. While not i^Toat as a ])opular jireacher his sincerity and
faithfulness as a pastor and his -odly walk and conversation
as a man i,'-ave him .L;rcat power ami eHicioncy with youni;- and
old.
JA.^MOS, J.\.M l':S A.- i;,,rn in Wales, in Decomher, is;,7.
His lather died when he w. is a child. About 1,S4'» he enii-
•rratoil to Paris, I'ortaue I'o.. (»hi,i. and Iroin there came to
Henderson, Minn., in the sprin-" ol 1S.=.7, but in IS.sS he
returned to Ohio, where he married Miss ICmerott I^. Hine on
January 2nd, 1S(,2. Was in the mechanical service of the
g-ovorniuent durin-- the last vear of the civil war. In the
sprin^r of 1S(,(, he came to Mankato, Minn., where he reside'd
with his lamily until Septemiier, ISS'i, when he moved to
Seattle, Wash.,' where he now resides. While at .Mankato he
followed the occup.ition <d' contractor and builder during- the
first low years, lie ser\odthe city a number (d years on its
school board aiul city council. Three times he was elected to
the Minnesota Legislature -iss.f to 1SS7. He was chief
grain inspector of Minnesot.i under three ^oxornors — viz:
Gov's. Hubbard in iss,^, .McC.iU in issi.an.l .Merriam in 1.SS7.
He is a man of pleasiui;^ presence and address and of much
more than ordinary aliility. lli^liiie ^a^.icity and foresiL;"ht,
his porsovorin;,'- will and eueryy and splendid man-i.^ement
of mon anil thin^-s ha\e alwa\smade him a success in busi-
ness and ])olitics.
.JA3I1':S, .lOlIN !•:. Horn in Milwaukee. Wisconsin. Ueceni-
ber .>Oth, l.S.^2. His parents, .lolin .md Winifred James, his
sistor Kate (now Mrs. Wni. i,. D.ivies, Milwaukee,) and
brother William, i b.r sover.il v.ars past foreiLTU frei.n-ht a^-eiit
of Now York Central \- llu.lson Kiver R. K., New York City i
loft Wales and lande.l at IJoston. Mass.. in the summer of 1S47.
Their steamship intended to malce the jM.rl of New York Citv
but went on the rocks of X.intucket Sho.ils in a {n'j; ami was
compelled to make the ]iort ofDostoii in an almost sinking-
Condition. The familv immcdiaulv start, d b.r the territorv
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Rev. D. E. Evans.
Dr. LI. a. Williams.
JIISNE.VroLIS.
C. W. Davies.
MINNEAPOLIS.
C. J. BIythin.
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F. Wynne Jones.
John J;. James.
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 200
of Wisconsin, travclini^- by rail tn.ni Koston to Alliany. N. Y..
thence by canal to lluHalo, X. Y.. and bv boat from lUiffalo tn
Milwaukee. There were no railrnails in Wisconsin at that time,
and none west 111 liulTalo, X. Y. The sul)ject i.f this sketch
received a public schoi.l education at Milwaukee and be.!.ran
his railroad career in ]S7(I, as passenger train carnini,'- clerk
in the auditor's ..ffice of the Milwaukee iSr fit. Paul Kaihvav at
Milwaukee. From 1S72 to IST.s he was statistical clerk nt"
the auditing;- department of the West Wisconsin Kailway ( now
the eastern division C. St. 1'. M. \- (). Ry. ) at Hudson, Wis.
From 1S7.^ to ISSd he was assistant cominler of the passeni,rer
earniny of the t'hica.i,'-.. \- Ncirth-Weslern Kailway svstem at
Chicaf,^*, 111. From ISSO to iss.s he was contracting,'- a^vnl of
the Red Line Fast Freii^ht .it Minneapolis, Minn. From ISS.s
to 1S')2 he was a-ent of Ked Line Transit O.., for fit. Paul
and the country as far west as the Pacific Coast, fiince 1S<I2
he has been the Xorth-western airent of the Lake Shore iV-
Lehig-h Valley Koute an.l Xorth-western freif^ht aj,'-ent of the
Lake Sli..re A: Michi-an fiouthern Kv. at fit. Paul and Minne-
apolis and the territorv west to the Pacific Coast.
JENKINS, i;i':V. .]i:SK]y-,.S7n-;:/,n/ /A/::t::7/////. )— Born
at Tirfordfawr, Llan-efalach, (ilanmortranshire, Wales, July
2'Jth, 1S03. At the a-e of 14 he joined the Con-re-ationa'l
church of Mynvdd Lach near fiwansea. His thirst for knowl-
edg-e was g-reat from chiklliood, but the means to gratify it
were meager in those days. He attended the parish scliool
and then studied for a time under a Congregational
minister, named Kev. John Evans, at Crwys, near fiwansea.
He then attended a grammar school at Carmarthen, conducted
by Rev. David Peters. January .= tli, 1S25, he was licensed to
preach by a Congregational association near fiwansea and
went on a preaching circuit through most of fi. Wales. On
September 12th, ISr.O, he married Miss fiarah, daughter of
Christmas and Catherine Davis, of Lerthlwyd, parislfof Lon-
cher, Glanmorganshire. In July lS.i2 he emigrated from
Crwys to New Y<irk City, where, in November of the same
year, he was ordained pastor of the Welsh C.ingregational
church on Mulberry street in that city. Here in 1S34 his wile
and child died leaving him al.me in the world. He continued
in his pastorate, however, until May, l^^M,, ^vhe^ he resigned
to attend Aui)urn Seminary. October loth, lS.-^(,, he married
Miss Ann, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Jenkins, of
IJradbird, Pa, After leavin- the seminary in July, IS.^T, he
-l^* THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
took charg-e of the Coiiirrcg-ation:!] church of ClitTord, ;in<l of
the Presbyterian church of DundatT, Pa., where he continued
. eig-ht years. After this lie had charge successively of
the churches of Newark and (Granville, Ohio, Dodg-eville and
Welsh Prairie, Wis., and Big Rock, 111. From the latter
place he removed to Blue Karth county, Minn., in June, 1S.=,(,,
and located on a claim in the present town of Cambria, where
continued to reside until his death. While on a visit to the
settlement in ()ctober,lS55,he had organized the present Salem
Congregational church of Cambria, and on his arrival in June
1S5() he assumed pastoral charge of this church which con-
tinued until ]S(,7. In December, 1S5S he organized a Congre-
g-ational church in South Bend village and served it also as
pastor, until 1S(.'), when he retired from active pastoral work,
. but continued to preach occasionally until his <leath. In 1S72
he published an autobiography which had a wide sale among
the Welsh people. Mr. Jenkins had a mind well adapted for
theological study and he was a divine of no mean ability.
His sermons generally sliowed much depth of thought and
feeling and his delivery was pleasing and impressive. His
eloquence was never noisy but was .[uite intense and fervid.
He was very fond of wit and humor and sometimes the transi-
tion from the pathetic to the humorous, the sublime to the
ridiculous, might be rather sudden, but usuallv the funny
story only served to draw the attention to some important
truth, which followed it. Mr. Jenkins died February 5, lSSf>,
arid lies buried in Cambria cemetery. His estimable wife
followed him November 21, 18')2, and now lies beside him.
His daughter, Jennette, now Mrs. Jennette Jones, of Man-
kato, was the first teacher in the town of Judson. His
second daughter, Anne, was a graduate of the Mankato
schools and was a successful teacher for years. She married
Wm. Evans, of Aurora, 111., and died January fSth, ISS.V His
son, Philip, is also a teacher by vocation and with another
son, Benjamin, resides on the (dd homestead in Cambria.
JICMvINS, \VII.LIA3I E — Born in 1817, at Cwmavon.
Glanmorganshire, Wales. His parents were Evan and Eliza-
beth Jenkins. In 1S.^(, he married Miss Elizabeth Griftiths
and in 1S44 they came to this country, making their home
first at Pittsburgh, Pa. During their three years stay at Pitts-
burgh, he lost his beloved wife and one of their two children.
The surviving child. John E. Jenkins, was a soldier in Co. E.,
'»th Minn., 'during the late war and now lives in Missouri
r-., ^\)
Mrs. Jenkin Jenkins.
LATE OF t VMIIKIA. MINN.
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Mrs. Morris Lewis.
*M*s. ;*tlohard Wigley.
A F-eW FIONJOER WELSH WOMEN OF ITEUE EARTH COUNTY.
Th-s. Ainy Robert.'
-MOITII llKMi, MfW.
THE WELSH IN .MINNESOTA. 211
In 1847 Mr. J^'tikins mnvod U> Fish Creek. Wis., and thcriLe in
1S57 tu IJuttcrmit Vallcv, Minn. In 1S5S, he married ^Nliss
Elizabetli, d.ui-hter n( Mr. ami Mrs. Edward Evans, Ottawa,
Minn. Slie died January ISth. isys. Lesides this severe
blow, Mr. Jenkins .ilso lost one nl' his sons, Ev;in Jenkins.
About three years aL;o he retired from his farm to Lake Crys-
tal. He has been a iaithlul member of the C. M. church all
his life. He was elected one of the first elders of Bethel
church, antl still holds the same imi>ortant office at the Welsh
church in I^ake Crystal, and takes an active part in all church
work. He has three sons at Lake Crystal: ICdward, William
and Charles Jenkins, who are successful business men, useful
members of the Welsh church, and are hiirhly resj-ected.
.JENKINS, MllS. WILLI.V.^I E.— Dauj^-'hter of l^dward and
Ann Evans. born at Llanrhaia<lr-mochnaut..Mont^-onu'r vshire.
North Wales, in fsj'). When she was twenty years of a,L!;e
her parents moved to America, stayiuij: for a short time in
Ohio. In the sprini^- of IS?.; ^hc came to St. Paul and in May,
of that year, accompanied her brothers, John C. and Edward
S.Evans, to Lc Sueur county, bein-' the tirst Welsh woman in
that county. In 1S5S she married Win. E. Jenkins, and they
resided on a farm in the present town of Cambria for a few
years, removinii" thence to IJutternut \'alley, where she died
January ISth, ISSS. Mrs. Jenkins was a woman of many
excellent (jualities of mind antl heart, and a devoted christian.
J()NI':S, DAN'ID— Lorn at Nant C.lvnn Denbi-dishire, Wales,
March, 1S24. When he was live years old his parents moved
to Cyfyllioj,--, in the same shire. In May, ISSo, he came to
Milwaukee, and stayed during the summer in Waukesha Co.
He then went to tlalena. III., and thence to New Orleans.
There he found employment during the winter on a Missis-
sippi steamboat. In the sprinj,"" of 1S51 he went to St. Louis
and thence in June ,ii;ain t.i tlalena. There he met one
John L. Jones, who induceil him tt> seek his fortune with him
at St. Paul, Minn., where they arrived in Auy;ust, 1S51. Dur-
injf the suTumer of LS52 he made three trips up the Minnesota
from St. Paul to Ft. Kidyely, the last time ,!.r<)in^'- twelve
miles beyond I'^t. Kid-eley to a place called Red Kock to carry
g-oods to the Yankton Sioux. It was here Mr. Jones
witnessed the lar^-est Indian encampment he ever saw.
In May. ISS.^, he went with Jidm C. I'A'ans and John Roberts
on a journey from St. Paul ui> the valley of the Minnesota to
the Llue Earth and thence back throuirh the I li^- Woods to
212 THE WELSU IN MINNKSOTA.
view the hmil. In ISSf. Mr. Jones located on his present
claim in the town of Sharon, I^e Sueur countv. April 24th.
1S5S, he married Miss Rose, dau.^-hter of ICdward and Ann
Evans, late of the town of Sharon. In Demeniber. 1S7(., Mr.
Jones was made an elder of the C. M. church of Saron, which |
office he still holds. An honest, sincere man, he lives in !
accordance with his christian profession. His children are: y
Jane, wife of Davi<l W. Jones, Anna, Thomas and Marv Jones.
JOM-:S, DAVID ('.—Son of K. 1). and Mary E. Jones, was
born in May, 1.S54, at Detroit, Mich. After •rraduatini,'- from
the hig-h school of Detroit he spent a year at Olivet colleg-e,
Michig-an. Went into railroad life in the fall of 1S72 and was
with the Lake Shore cV Michigan Southern for seven years.
In 187<) he was made chief clerk of the General Freight de-
-partment of the Wiscmisin Central Ry., ;it Milwaukee, and
in 1884 was made Division Freight Agent of the Northern
Iowa lines of the Chicago, Milwaukee .V St. Paul Ky. In
1887 he was made Third Assistant (general I'Veight Agent at
Milwaukee, and in iS'iu he was transferred to St. Paul and
made Assistant General Freight Agent of the Northwestern
lines of the Chicago, Milwaukee .V St. Paul Ry. He w.is
married in lS7ii to Miss Mary J., daughter of Hon. Thomas
D. Roberts, of Floyd, N. Y., and has been living in Minneap-
olis for the last li\e \ears.
.JONES, KEV. DAN'ID D.— Born in May, 1S44, at V.ryu
Ccthru, Cilanniorg-anshire, Wales. Son of David and Ann
Jones. Coming: to the United States he spent a number of
years in school at Lane Seminary, Cincinnati, ()., and at
Union Park Seminary, Chicago, from which latter institution
he graduated in 1S75. lie soon received a call to the pastor-
ate of the Salem Congregational church, of Cambria, Minn.,
and in September of the same year was ordained at IMankato
at a conference of the Congregational churches. April
1870, married Miss Mary A., daughter of Hon. Robert 11.
Hughes, of Canil)ria, Minn. Soon after this he removed to
Custer, near Tracy, Minn., where he locateil on a large aiul
valuable farm and preached occasionally to the new churches
in that vicinity until his death in ISSb. He left him surviv-
ing his wife and live children, who now reside on the home
farm in comfortable circumstances.
flONES, DAVID I':.^i /Jrzri (\in>ii). S..n of Evan and Wini-
fred Jones. Horn Seiitember 12, IS.^d, in Trecvnon, Abcrdare,
<;ianmorg,insliire, Wales. When but fourteen years old he
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H. G. JONliS,
JUDSON, MINN.
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JUDSON, MINN.
JOHN CDW \k>:)^
THK WKLSfl IN MIxNNKSOTA. 213
came to America alinie, and settled in Ooalliurt,^, Ohio, lie
followed his occupation as cari>enter in various cities in Ohio,
Pennsylvania and West ^'ir;,'■inia. In New .NU-xico liu spent
sometime openini,'' up mines under ]vs-( lovernor Foster of
Ohio. lie married Miss Jennie, daujjrhter of D. h. Davies, of
Bethel settlement, Jackson county, Ohio, at Columbus in said
state in the year ISS,", and has had four children, two of whom
are livin','-. In the summer of 1SS4 he removed to Minneapidis
with his family and conducted the siuij^ini^ in the Welsh
church for a number of years. In IS,S(, he launched into bus-
iness for himself as contractor and iiuilder, and was verv suc-
cessful. ( )wini,'- to his knowleil^'e of buildint^ and his liusiness
abilities, in IS't] he was offered and accepted the i)osition oi
Insurance Adjuster and Ins[)ector for the Millers' and Manu-
facturers' Insurance company ni Minnea]iol is. wliich position
he still holds. His musical career beiran in his tenth year
under the celebrated (r. K. Jones ( ('i/nn/n^ :. and he was one
of the leadini,'- altos of the Aberdare ITnited Choir when he
came to America. At the aye of tifteen lie was elected pre-
centor and choir leader of the Welsh ConLrrei;ational church
at Coalbury, Ohio, to succeed the well known Mr. J. 11. I^od-
wick. Six months after he took char^-e ni this choir it tool<
the first prize at the AV.s7,-(/(//;«/ at Youn.irstown, Ohio, where
four well trained choirs competed on .Mendelssohn's "The
Song- of the I^ark." In 1S7(. he was director of the Hayes and
Wheeler Glee Club of Cleveland, Ohio, which i,'-ained a wide
reputation in that campaiyn. llis male chorus from Coalliury
and Brookfield, Ohio, was victorious ov».r three choirs at
Sharon, Pa., under the adjudication of the immortal (iv.'il\')ii
GiL'Oil, who was profuse in his praise of it. In the Ju's/cdJ-
fod at Lima, Ohio, in 1SS4, his male party was the best of
seven and received well-merited commendation from all.
Since his coming- to Minneapolis he has led choirs at lu'^/cc/il-
fodau there and at Mankato, Chicago and other places with
marked success, and the Welsh church there has given sever.al
concerts andcantatas under his direction. lie is a gniod vocal-
ist and has taken several prizes in ICii-tcddfodaii for singing;
bass solos. In 1SS7 Mr. Jones took charge of the music at
the Fifth Avenue Congregational church, Minnea]i(dis, and
still has charge of it. In November. 1S'»1, at the l-:isl,dd fo,!
at Mankato, Minn., in the (iorfcdd proceedings, the musical
and bardic nom de i)lume, J)r:ri( 'yiihii. was duly conferred upon
him in conformity with the traditional and ordained rites an
2l4 THIv Wia.SH IN JIINNICSOTA.
ceremonies. He is a inemher of the Odd Fellows and a Pat-
riarch's Militant, and is a tliirt v-sccnnd decree Mason and a
Kniyht Templar, and is also a nu-nilKT nl' the ancient Ar;Li)ic
order, "Nohles (d' tlie Mvstic Shrine." o. m, ,,:.:,„
,IOXKS, IM':\'. D.WIl/ l'\--i;,,rn Oct.d.er 21st, 1S2.^. His
parents were Kichard and S.irah .Tones, [..lanhedr, .Meriinuth
shire, Wales. ilis mother w:is a sister to the eminent
preachers, the Kev's. Foiilk ICv.ins, .M.ich vnllelh, and R(dnTt
Evans, Tvlannwchlyn, near llala, and dau-hter of Kcv. JOv.in
Foulk, Llanuwchlyn. Mr. .Tones has two brothers who are
ministers in the C'alvinistic .Methodist church, viz: the Kev.
Evan F. Jones, of (ilan Conwav, North Wales, .-md the l>;ev.
R. F. Jones, of Oshkosh, Wis. When Mr. Jones was a child
of eig-lit years he removed with his jiarents to Trefriw. ^Vllen
a youn<5- man he learned the blacksmith trade att'arnc-dda and
Llan<,'-evnyw; and at the last named pi, ice he united with the
Wesle3-an church. I'Vom Trefriw he eniii^rated to .Vnierica in
184'). Shortly before leavini;- his native countrv he was
united in marriage to Miss Catherine Ilnuhes, who now in her
widowhood resides in the city of Mankato. He lived at Hol-
land PatiMit, N. Y., and at I'tic.a for ab.iut fifteen years anil
then removed to Cambri.i, Wis., and ;L!.,'-;,Jn from there to IJan-
g-or, near La Crosse. For ;i short time he resiik-il at }'>i'^
Creek and at Cataract. Wis., un-'a-e.l in farming-. He was
chosen deacon of the TTtica, ( N. Y. ) church, and served in
that capacity faithfully until called by his Master to a luLrher
office, that of the ministry, at IJani^'or, Wis., in ISdS. Ho w:is
ordained to the full work of the ministry by the Wisconsin
Synod in is;*.. In 1S7') he received and :iccepte<l a call to
become pastor of Saron and VAim churches, in I^e Sueur
county, Minn., where he continued to labor with acceptance
and success until his death, which occurred Ajiril 7, 1SS4.
His remains were laid at rest near the church where he labored
for so many years. He left survi\inL,'' him six children, viz :
Sarah E., now .Mrs. O. Vl. Kich.Lrds, Mankato; Jidin l'\, Wni.
F., and Richard F., all of ^[ankato: D.ivid F., attornev at
law, Sparta, Wis., and Jennie l']., now Mrs. John Hughes, of
Ottawa, Le Sueur county, Minn.
J<)M':S, D.WII) K. Korn at [Janwinio, Carmarthenshire,
Wales, in lS.;o. ICmi-rated to America in TS31 and settled in
Cincinnati, Ohio. Worked there as ,i mechanic in the iron
mills for eii;-hteen years and by his tliri ft ,iuil industrv became
l>art owner in the works. He was married in 1S(,4 ;ind in
i .■-^
/7- -0^ ■■
- '.N^-,'\^
■ . ■>*«■■ -''V
.'
..">:: i
'1
\;
_j
Rev. Ciriffith Roberts,
LAKE CEVHTAL, MINX.
Rev. VVm. A. Jones,
r--^--^
f-^'
^^-K
>f
.''1^
K
\p
;^-
'}'
■'.'^^
f
^
i
Rev. Win. E. Evans,
MANKATI), MINN.
PROMINENT MINISTERS OF CALVINISTIC METHODIST CHURCH.
Rev. John C. Jones,
CIIKACHI, ILL.
/
\
y-
1' \
\
\-
Rev. Uavid A\. Jones.
Rev. Wm. H. Jones.
&>:^:
"1
1
>-^^.
-•w
;
-^V,
' ■/
\'-
Rev. David F. Jones.
LATE OF OTTAWA, MINN.
Rev. Richard F. Jones.
PROMINENT MINISTERS OF CALVINISTIC METHODIST CHURCH
WELSH IN MrNTsKSOTA. 2lS
ISi.O removed wi
th his fa
uilv to Wa
ter
ow
1, Wis.,
w
lere
his wife's folks rt
si.lc.l. ]I
is rounecti(
n T.vith
the iron
w
)rks
in Cincinn:iti con
tinueil for
some tiiiie
I ft.
r this. In 1
ss
he
Tcmoved to Lime
Sprin-;-s.
la. Here :
bout 1
^SS he ei
U':
-e,i
iu the furniture
business.
with which
Iu
is
still com
U'l
ted.
having- built up a
verv lar-
e business.
fl
- h.-
s taken
'I
eery
active ]»art iu tl
e i,'-rowlh
of Lime S
>riui^s.
since he
c
ame
there, l)oth in tem
poral and
iu moral an
1 ri
lio
ious alfairs.
lie
has been mayor
.f the d
y one lirm
am
m
■mlier of
ts
city
council a nunil)er
of times.
His manly
am
1 fe
arless ad
\-o
cacy
of the ri<;:ht on :
ill qucstit
us, as a ]iul
lie
off,
cial an.l
.n
vate
citizen, have won
him the h
JltIi esteem <
f h
isf
■How tow
ismen.
Ho has always been a val
ant tham]'i
m
of
tem]>er;in
ce
;in.l
other moral reft
)rius and
a faithful
W<1
-ker in the
\\
elsh
church, of whit
h he is
a rulinir elt
er.
Ilis oeui
il
and
happy nature make him a favoriti- with tin- yiniiii;- iiei-)!*!.-, over
■whom he exertsa !.jreat intluence for tj-ood. His only datii^diter,
Anna, is the wife of Kev. J. K. Mc(;iade, the Presbyterian
minister of Lansiny", low.i.
JONKS, llEV. DAVID ."M.— Is a s,m of David Jones, Up]K'r
Bantfor, North Wales. He was born at Ty Khedvu, .Aniide-
sea, N. W., in the year ]S4(I. The family removed to Lany^or
when he was fourteen years of aire. He atleudeil school at
Marian (Has and Tyng-onij^l, An^'-lesea. at (^arth school, T.au-
gor, and at the Mechanic Institute, Liveqiool. lie bei^an to
preach at Kock Ferry, En^^l^^il- H*-' emiii^rated to the United
States in the year ISdf,. The tirst two years here he s]ient at
Columbus, Wis., then removed to .\Iankato, Minn. In the
year 1S71, at the Judson association, he was ordained to the
full work of the ministry, auti accei)ted a call as p.istt^r of
Horeb and Bethel churches, beiny- the first settled pastor of
these churches. After years of successful work here, he set-
tled at Remsen, N. Y., where he laliored for six years, and
then at Floyd iu the same state for another period of six y.^'ars.
From the latter place he accepted a call to Waukesha, Wis.,
where he served the churches of Moriah, Soar and Ziou for
nine years. In the year IS'il he acce]ite<l a call to Fair Ilawn.
Vermont, where he is now in the midst of a sticcessful work'.
When located at Remsen, N. Y., he was iniited in m.irriai^e
to Jemima, dauy-hter of Mr. II. J. ( )weus. Mr. Jones will be
long- remembered in Blue Earth county, as a successful organ-
izer of Literary societies, as well as for his ability and origi-
nality as a i)reacher of the gospel. He is a freciueut contrii)-
216 THK WKLSII IN JriNNKSOTA.
utor to the Welsli i>cri()<lic;ils, and his >priifhtlv wit and ovnial
humor mak-o his writini,'-s always rcadaMc. lie is the Irvinj^-
of Wclsli writers.
JOMCS, HDWAIJI) - i;,,rn October i:., 1S(.2, near Aherdovy,
Merionethshire, Waks. Son of ICvan 1 ). and Mary-aret Jones
of Mankato, Minn. His parents eniii^Tated to I^e Sueur
county, Minn., in April 1S(,'), and thenee to Mankato a few
months later. I^earned teleL;-raphy at the Western Union
office at Mankato, and. when eighteen years (dd, heg-an workini,r
for the Milwaukee .V St. Paul Ky. Co. Altera year he en-
tered the employ of the Cliiea,L,'-o, St. I'aul, :Minneapolis \-
Omaha Ky., where he continued for three years. After this,
was with the Western Union t'o. .it St. Paul for one year and
at Sccora, New Mexico, three years, returnini;- to assume
cliarg-e of their oflice at Mankato in the fall of ISSS. .Tune 2S,
18')3, married ^^iss Li/.yAc Merrill, <>i Florence, Ala.
JONES, KDWAIII) K.-Farmer, horn at Cardiganshire,
Wales, December 2')th. 1S42. Fhniirrated with his ]>arents in
1K4'» to Mar.piette county. Wis. ' Janu.ary 2(ith, 1S(,2, enlisted
in Company C, .^rd Wisccmsin Cayairy \'olunteers, and seryed
until the closeof the war mostly under (len. Ulunt. In March
ISf)*), he moyed to Judson, Minn., where he purchased a hne
farm. Se]demher loth, IS?.., he married Miss Mary A..
dau<jrhter of Dayid J. and Sarah Thomas. In IS'I., he ri;tired
from his farm to Lake Crystal, where he owns a comfortable
home. Is a member of the G. A. K. Post of that i)laco.
JONKS, 3I1{S. ICLL EN— First wife of Rey. Richard (i. Jones,
was iKirn at Llane^Tyn Merionethshire. Wales. Au^rust, ISuT.
Ilcr father was Wm. Jones, Kodywyn. At the ai^^e of 2(. she
remoyed to Dyffryn, where she was united in marriaf,'-e to
Rey. Richard (r. Jones, late of Le Sueur county, (see his bio-
g-raphy. ) She was a woman of line christian spirit, who
walked worthy of her reliL;ious profession.
JONES, KVAN-i;,)rn at Tanr.allt, b.ur miles east of Eans^-or,
Carnaryonshire, Wales, Au!^-ust 17, bS27. Son of J<din and
Elizabeth Jones ( Indian.a i. lMni,i,'-rated with his ]iarents to
Philadelphia in July, \SM>, and removed to Cincinn.tti, ()., in
Noyeml)er. Thence in the sprinj^-of is:.7 they moved to Mad-
ison, Ind., where his father helpeil build the first railway west
of Madison. In l.S4n the family moved twenty-seyen miles
north into, what was then, a forest wilderness, and ])urchased
24(1 acres of ;.;-oyernment land. In 1S4S I'^an left home, i^'-oin;,'-
first to Paddy's Kun, ()., and thence to Cincinnati, where he
ill ;
irnl
int,'-
m
11
In 1S5S he attended the
at
;ra
ivil
c.
).
. for a few niunths wliel
Kansas
aiK
1 r
irin..il the acquaintanco o
( )s
iwa
toin
Xiit liking'- it there he re
,M
ly.
SS(.
re
m
ived with his parents t(
Louiity
Mi
nil
vlicre about June 1, tlie\
ill
Sec
tion
2A
Liuring- the Sioux out
THE WKl.Sir IN MIXNE?OTA.
worked seven years
Baptist University,
he visited eastern !
"old Joliil IJmwii ol
turned home and in
Cottonwood, Ilrowii
located on a lariii
break of 1S(,2 ICvaii wi'Ut to the defense of New Ulm and par-
ticij)ated in the battle there. On Sej>teniber Id, of that vear
his father was killed by the savaj.^'-es in their raid U])on l>ut-
ternut Valley, and ICvan was cluised by them into the sloui^hs
and was out hiditiLT for eleven days without food, except a few
ears of corn and some onions and watermelons he found in the
fields at nit,Wit, and ate raw. In .luiie. 1>(.<., he married Rachel,
dau^'-hter of Thos. J. Jones, late of Cambria, Minn. In 1S7S
he sold his Brown county farm anil removed to the vicinity of
Lake Benton, Lincoln county, and thence after ei<:fhteen
months he went to Murray county, where he ]iurchased his
present farm of 252 acres on the banks of Bear Lake, in Low-
villc township. He has held a number of town oftices and
has been postmaster at Lowville for many years. Mr. and
Mrs. Jones have been blessed with ei^-ht children: Elizabeth,
Ellen, Mary. Ilaltie, Alice, Herbert, Hmah and Katie.
JOMOS, EVAN I). -S.m of William and (;wen Jones, of Hod-
owyn, Llanej^-ryn, Merionethshire, ^Vales, whore he was born
September 7, IS.^4. June in, bs5'), lie was married by Kev.
Edward Jones, ^'icar of Towyn, to Miss Mari^aret James, sec-
ond daughter of Kicliard and Jane James, of Ynyshir, Cardi-
g-anshire. Emigrated to Le Sueur county. Minn., in April,
1S(>'), and in a short time moved thence to Mankato, Minn.,
where he still resides, following the occupation of marble
cutter, in which he has great iiroliciency. For a number of
years he sang in the choir of the ICnglish Congregational
church, of which he and his wife are faithful members. Eight
children have been born to llieiii, only two of whom survive:
Edward and Kobert.
JONES, EVAN Il.-r.orn in IS.^s at a place called Tanycoed,
near Bettws-y-Coed, Carnarvonshire. W.iles. His parents.
Rev. Hugh Jones and Mrs. Jones, were highly esteemed in
the community for their ])ietv and intcLTrity. He thus en-
joyed the advant:ige of religious traiiiiiii;- and instruction at
home by ]>ious jJareiUs and in the ciuircli of Cod. The family
came to America in 1S45 and settled at Columbus, Wis., where
2lS ThR WRLSil IN MINNKSOTA
liis father ministered iiianv y^-ars and was hi^-hlv respected.
After his father's death he and his nidlher moved to T.ime
Spring's in 1S(,7 where they have lieen very sueeessful. In the
year ISTS he was married t<i Si(hiev, dauL;-liter (d' .Mr. ami
Mrs. Wm. Koherts, nf Cdiimhus, Wis. They had three ehiUl-
rcn of whom one died ahoiit li\e vears a^d. Mr. .hmes is a
great reader, a patron of Welsh literature, antl. heeause of his
intellectual power and force of character, is one of the most
prominent and active men amoni,^ the Welsh of Howard
county and vicinity. l{l,^ k .i,,m.iii.
J<)M':S, l':\'.\N T.--n,,rn at Tantrr.illt niaenj.enial Cardi-
ganshire, Wales, in July, IS^f,. Married Miss Klizalieth Kllis,
of Ilcndref, May l.>th, lS4(i an<l the followinir -'une emii,rrati'il
to Jackson county, Ohio, and thence with the Jackson colony
to South liend, Minn., wliere thev arrived Mav iDtli, ISSi..
After a few weeks he reino\ed to his present farm in Sharon
Township, Le Sueur county. There, in iiartnership with
David Lewis and Thos. J. Jones, i cooper, i he l.uilt the first
sawmill in that neighborhood : which mill, after supjilvinfr
the pioneers with lumber for over two Ncirs, burned in fs.^M.
His wife died June 7th, ISST, and on January 1st, 1S(,(I he
married Miss Mari^'aret, dauLihter of l'',dwar<l and Ann Evans,
of Ottawa, Minn. KuriuLT t-he Sioux war of 1,S(,2 Mr. Jones
was the only Welshman from the lliLT M'oods settlement who
went to the defense of New IJlm. lie was a cor])oral in Capt.
Saunders Comp;iny of Le Sueur l^i<;-ers. This company left
St. Peter at If a. m., of the :iith of Aui,'-ust and reached the
Red Stone ferry at 11 ].. m. It was a wry dark and rainy
nig-ht. Mr. Jones and another man ferried the thirteen teams
they had over the Minnesota and on reaching- New Llm thev
were detailed for picket duty until morning-. Thursday thev
perfected their company organization. Friday, Mr. Jones
was detailed with about 140 others to go to F^eavenworth to
rescue eleven persons that were concealed in some willows.
Saturday, he did efficient service at the b.ittle of New Llm,
being stationed at the wind mill. On the 2<)th, the company
disbanded at Maiikato and returned home. Mr. Jones has
served three years on the town board, six vears as county
commissioner and fifteen years on the school board. His
second wife died December Sth, IS'i.^. He has four children
living by his first wife, viz: ICllis, of Lake t'r\stal. Thos. IC.
an<l Mary J., ni Le Sueur, .-ind David, ,,f Menahga, Wadeii:,
Robert Joins and (.
alherine
then in that part ol
Wales r
nnme — her jiarents
vere Ilm
Owens.) He left
home wl
slate ([iiarries of N.
Wales :
shire. At the a<^-e
of 2S V
States and worked
in the o
roy, Ohio, and Wlie
•lin-. \V
on the farm he owti
■d until 1
Minn., heini^- one n(
the first
In Septcnilier, tS(.7
lie ni:ir
of Thos. J. ICvans,
1 Cn-vk. 1
was noted for his in
histry, w
means, and his -i^r^-:
t intcLj-r
was thor(^Ui,'-hly <iri
^•iiKil. I
rclis'ious matters tli
)iit;-li not
1 Phoel
e, all
of Le
Sneur.
, 1SS4.
ai^'-ed
22 ve
irs.
Tv Hen
, Kh<.
sne.iri
', rjan-
May 21
d, IS
l'».
Son of
hreys,
it w:
s the
custom
wife to
retain her
maiden
]Iuin|ili
reys :
nd M
artjfaret
te youi
'-T fo
work
in the
YIIT.; WKI.SII IN MIXNKSOTA.
both, Anna,.Tohn, Koso, Iviward an
The oldest K'.>hert died Decemher :^
.lONKS, Ml .AIIMriMOV Horn at
feilo"^- parish, Ani^lesea, Wales.
Hum J
>r the
and the eo.ij mines of .Monmonth-
ears he emiirrated to the United
oal mines of Coalpf>rt and Pome-
'. Va. In April, 1S.=;.=;, he located
his death in section S. of Judson,
ei^rht Welsh settlers of that town,
ried Mrs. l^leanor iMans, widow
He died May 'ith, 1SS7. He
.vherel)y he i^Mthered considerable
ilv "i character. In his ways, he
le alwa\s took ^rreat interest in
)1 a church member until a year or
two before his death. Jerusalem church is indebted to his
efforts as much as anyone for its present comnifxlious edifice.
.lONKS, IM<]V. irr^IIMIIJKV—Kvanirelist. Born at Tre 'r-
ddol, Cardiiranshire, Wales, ( )ctober 11,1 S.',2. His father was
Hugh Jones, }'i/ys dif^rl, a brother of Rev. Humphrey Jones,
a Wcslcyan minister, wlmdifd suddenly at Beaumaris in ISdl.
His mother w:is a dauij^hter of Mr. and Mrs. Hu^-h Rowlands,
Dolrlolhvr. Both parents emisjr.ited to the United States
when Humphrey ■v\as (|uite younir and he was broug-ht up by
an aunt, who was an inn-krti)er at Tre 'rddol. He received the
best education then asailnble in that neighborhood. For a
time he attended the school ke]n by Kdward Jones at Abcryst-
with. He was converted when only twelve years old at
Tre 'rdilol, under the ministry (d' the late Rev. James Jones,
and at the age of sixteen years he began ]ireaching. In the
fall of 1S.^(, he crossed the ocean to visit his parents, who had
located near Oshkosh, Wis. It was a time of revival in many
of the American churches and the spirit seized Mr. Jones with
much power, and for two ve.irs he pnached in the Wisconsin
churches with great accrptaiice. and ort^anized the Wesleyan
church ;it the (Klikosh WeM, settleiii.ti t. In June, IS5S, he
returned to Wales and the first Siiiida', on his arriv.il beg.in.i
series of re\i\.ii meetiiujs at iiis nati \ e cliurch in Tre "rdthd.
220 TIIR WKI.SIt IN MINN]-;SOTA.
Mr. Jones was now in Uic !:,'-lnry of his strcns^tli — a splondiil
si.ccimon of luiniruiitv, pli vsirall y, niontally and spiritual! v.
and liis intense ernestness and fervid el("|uenoe s\ve]it every
thin^ before him and he lieeanie a t;'reat leader in the niiL;hty
revival which took jiossession of Wales in lS5S-")-(,(). After a
few years of evangelical work in Wales ho returned in 1S71 to
Wisconsin, where he had j.astoral cliar^eof the Welsh cluirch
he had ort,'-ani/.ed near Oshkosh. His brain, however, h.ad
been injured bv overwork in Wales, .and in 1S72 he had to be
taken to a hospital for treatment. .\.fter four years he was
dischar!,'-ed and aj^ain resumed revival work, sjiemlin^- most (d'
his time in Wisconsin and Minnesot.a. lie w.is p.istcir ni the
Confrrctrati<uial churches nf Cambria and South Kend, Minn..
from the summer of |SS'», l,, J.muarv 1, lS'i4. Soon after this
he suffered a p.aralytic stndce at Waukesha, Wis., and died
May S, 1S'».=;. at Chilton. Wis., at the h.une of his brother.
John Jones. IJrilliaut. eloi|Uent an<l fervid he was at his best
one of the Lrre.itest of recent Welsh evaULTcHsts.
JONES, lir.AnMIi;i':V n.--i;,,rnat :Merthvr Ty.Uyl. Clan-
morganshire, Wales, in IS.V). Son (.>f Ilumjdirev Iv and
Elenor Jones. iMniyr.ated with his parents to l'ortai;'r Prai-
rie, Wis., in l.S4't, ami thence remo\ed to Judson, Minn., in
the spring- of 1S().t ami en^a^-ed in farmin!.r. Married .Mari^Ti-
rct, daui,'-hter of John James, of Jutlscm, Minn. Ife is pas-
sionatcl}- fond of siiiL^-iuL;-, anil has always been a ready .and
efficient promotor (d all musical g-atherini;-'^. He is ^-euer.allv
in demand for quartetie and choir sin^-ini,'-. and has been the
leader of the Cambrian Clee club, a chorus of youiii,'- men.
who have sun.i,"- at nearly all the yreat Welsh musical festi\-als
of Blue Earth county. Mr. Jones has also made a successful
farmer and is comfortal)ly situated. His children are: J(din,
Hugh, Liz7.ie, Mife of Edward Jones, of Tracy, I.,lewellyn, C.ir-
adoc and (lomer.
JONES, lirCJlI (J.— r.orn at (taerwen, Anglesea, Wales.
February :s, bS4.^. Son of Jlui^di an.l Margaret J<mes.
Worked one year in ([uarriesat the l"'estiniog. Merionethshire,
whence he emigrated in l.S(,(i to Cambria, Wis. Mo\ed in
June, 18<>7, to r.,ime Springs, Iowa, where he purch.ased a f.irm.
In March, 1S(,S, married Miss Marv Jones, at Cambria, Wis.
Moved in isr: to r.lue Karth City, .Minn., tlu'nce to Judson,
Minn., in ISS.v Has always taken an ;tcti\-e intiTest in ]iid>-
lic alTairs and is a iirouiinent tnend.er .d' Carmel church. Ik-
is a fre(pient contributor to Welsh jiapers in prose and jioetry
TEK WIU.SH IX MIN'N'ICSOTA. 221
under the noil do plume, (\iniiclyii. lie has also taken a lively
interest in Welsh literary nieetiii-'s. }Ic owns a lar^'-e and
valuable lann wliieh he has -'ained bv industry and -ood
mana.L,''enient. He has two children: II. (irant .lames and
Miss Mamie A.
.lOMOS, IirCJII II. -Horn at Tan-v-Coed, Au.^-ust .>r(l. 1X28.
within two miles of lietws-y-t'oed. Carnarvonshire, Wales. Son
of Rev. Ilu.i^-h .Tones. KmiLrrated to near t'olumbus. Wis., in
1845 with liis jKirents. Married Miss IClizabeth. dau-hter ot
Wm. an<l IClivabeth Koberts, Oetober 1st, 1S.=,'», at iJan^'-or,
Wis., where Mr. Jones had been in business two years in a
ireneral store with his brother, K. H. .bmes. In .May, ist.o,
they rem..)ved the store to Mankato, .Minn. In the fall of 1S(,2
they returned to (;aml>ria, Wis., where they renuiined one year.
Thence Mr. Jones went to Watertown. where he was for three
years in the dry !,roods Imsiness with his brother, ICvan II.
Jones, now ,d' Lime Sprinus. la. In ISi.'i Mr. .and Mrs. Jones
returned a;,OLin to M.mkato wliere Mr. Jones died October 21,
1SS5. Their two sons also died there in their early manhooil
— John in ISSd, and William in isss. Mr. Jones was a man
of excellent business aldlity and was well informed, especially
in scrijitural knowledi,>-e. He was an elder of the .Mankato
church. His widow is a worthy member of the Mankato
Presbvterian church and has i,'-iven lari^'-ely of her means t(j
the support id' (icurs cause.
,M)M':S, .lOlIN .V.-r.orn .Mav l.-tli, 1S17, at Llanwren,
Mont.^-omeryshire, Wales, In .May, 1S42 he emi-rated to the
United States an.l the fall of that year located at linimet.
Wis. In Februarv, IS.Sl, he was unitoil in marriag-e to .Miss
Hannah Pui^h. January, l.S5.^, in company with Daviil and
Evan J. Lewis he visited lilue Karth county, and locate.l on a
claim in the Hlue lOarlli X'alley near S.aith Kend villa-e.
Keturniu-- in March he led a lar.L^-e colony of Welsh people
from limniet to South IJend. .Mr. and Mrs. Jones have
always been renowned for their generous hospitality. They
also took great interest in the reli-ious affairs of the com-
munity, and the South r.end t'oULTreu'-ational church was, in
!,^reat juirt, indebted to them for its orii.rin and maintenance.
Vox many years .Mr. Jones was not a mendier, but he was just
as active and interested in the work as though he were its
special jiatron, in so much that Ke\-. Jenkin Jenkins, used to
call him his "outside deacn-. December, Is'i;., he removed
with his wife to National L'itv, C"al., where tliev now reside,
222 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
Their sons Kicliard and Jcruuiiali reside on tho old homestead
in South Bend. .Vnother son, .lohn E., is a suceessl'ul mer-
chant in WashinLTton state.
JONES, KKV. .HHIN A.— llorn at Kheidiol. near Al.ervst-
wyth, Cardii,'-anshire, Wales, in the s|iriny- of 1S2S. His
parents, Jolin and Catherine Jones, removed wlien he was a
child, to a farm called ■\\\n//vr//v,/,/' near Nanteos. 'Phis
was also the home of Kev. Thomas Hdwards, Dr. Lewis
Edwards and the eminent \Velsli musieian "Jciiaii <i:rvllf\
The intlueneeof the last and of his cousin Evan Koherts l.e-ot
in younff Jones a L,''reat love for music. In ISSl he married
Miss Anne, daui;-liter of Daniel Davies, leader of son;^", scIkioI-
master and land sur\eyor at (Iwvnle. 'J'he youny; cou]>le emi-
grated at once to Ttica, N. Y., where they were kindly receixed
by Rev. E. Grirtiths, Con-re-ational minister. In ISS.^tliey
moved to Waukesha. Wis., and for ten years was airent for
the American Tract Society, of N. V. In 1S,^7 he visited the
Welsh settlement of Dlue Earth county. .Minn. He com-
menced preachini,"- in September, 1S5'', at the Welsh settle-
ment near Berlin, Wis.. Imt went to minister to Eni.,''lish con-
greg-ations. In the fall of 1S(,,^ he visited Eoreston, Iowa, and
preached to the I'^ni;iisli church there and also at the house of
John K. Williams, Filmore county, Minn, to live Welsh fami-
lies. On his return home to Berlin he received a call from the
English Congreirational church, of l''oreston, and removed
there with his familv in the sprim;' of lS(i4. lie preached in
English to the Foreston church every Sunday mornini^ and in
Welsh to the few Welsh families at Brist.d Minn., in the
afternoons. ■ The only Welsh families then in that now
populous Welsh settlement were: David J. Davies, Wm.
Davies, J. Jones, John K. Williams, t)\\en Jtmes and Richard
W. Jones. His next move was to Floranceville, nine miles
south of Forest(m, where he organized a church of nine mem-
bers. Before he left the menil)ership increased to lifty and a
church edilice was built at a ost of .-4,tioo. He was sent in
1871 by the Home .Missionary Societv to Nebraska an. I there
organized an lOnglish church and helped to found the Welsh
settlement of -'Civalnt />.;.". In 1S74 he removed to Salem,
Neb., where he lal)ored with great success for six years. In
1S80 the Home .Mission, iry Societv sent him to California and
he ministeretl two years in Cala\-eras county, then at South
Vallejo an.l Cnickett. In Issi he visited the Welsh of Ore-
gon City. OrcLTon. ail<l there preached the llrst Welsh sermon
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 223
in that state. In ISSi,, at tlu r<_'t|iR'st of the Home IMissinnary
Society he spent one \ear at JeiiiiinLTs, La., and orj^rani^-eil a
Conjjfre^^'-ational church tliere with twenty-eis^-ht members and
built a line church. In 1SS7 he removed to Cottonwood, Cal.,
whore he orjjanized a Con.yre^'-ational church for which he still
ministers. His has been an eminently successful life — as a
preacher of the yospel — as an ori,'-anizor of new churclies — as
a teacher of music. Mrs. Jtines, and all the family, are also
fine musicians, and wherever they ha\ e been, thev have crea-
ted a musical interest with their sinyini;- schools, which have
g-reatly benefited youn<r and old. Their oldest son. Prof.
Richard Jones, g-raduated A. M., from (irinnell Colleg-e la.,
and Ph. D., from Oxford, Eny^land, and Ileidelbcrij, (iermanv,
and now occupies a professor's chair in Swartmore Colleye,
near Philadalphia. Herecently inililisheil an interestinjr bo(jk,
entitled, -'The Idylls of the Kinn". Tlie second son, William O.
Jones, graduated from the Neliraska I'niversity and is editor
in chief of the "Nebraska State Journal"'. The third son,
David, will soon ij^raduate Ph. 1). from Ileidellier;,'-, (Jermanv.
The two daug-hters, iCli/.a and Catherine, have been verv suc-
ccssful'as teachers in the gratled schnols and of music, and
reside, the former in Iowa and the latter in Nebraska. The
young-cst daug-hter, Katie, will soon graduate from the Cali-
fornia University.
JONI'^S, .lOIIN ('. — liorn in Montgomeryshire, North
Wales, in 1.S37. Son of John and Margaret Jones (Oslikosh >.
Emigrated with the family to near Waukesha, Wis., in lS4(i,
and thence in 1S.=1U to near Oshkosh, Wis. From there the
famil}- came to Blue Earth county, Minn., in August, 1S54,
and located on a farm in South IJend. In lSf,2 he married
Rachel, daugliter ,>i Mr. and Mrs. Morris Lewis, of Cambria,
Minn. In 1887 they located on their farm in Cambria. Mr.
Jones was a member of a volunteer company during- the Ink-
padoota war and again during the Sioux war of 18(.2 and ]>ar-
ticipated in the battle of New IMm. In 18(,.'> he enlisted in
Comi)any I'], Second .Minnesota Ca\alrv, serving two years in
the Indian campaign. He has held a great many oflices in
his town and always t.iken a prominent part in public affairs
in his community. He is a man of str(mg convictions, of
^sterling integ^rity and of excellent character and ha1>its. He
has one of the largest and most valuable farms in the settle-
ment. Mr. and .Mrs. J.mes have been Idessed with twelve
rhildren, viz: Maggie, Marv. Sarah. I'lstlier, William. .Mof-
224 THE WKLSH IN MINNI'SOTA.
ris, Thomas, lumua ( ilccoasoil ), Tudor, Iclns, Arthur antl
Kachol.
JONES, IfEN'. .JOHN C-JlMrn at IV-ithill n.'ar Aborvstwith
Cardig-anshirc, Wales. Ho received a -o.,d biblical trainin-
in his 3-()UtIi at C'apel Di'wi, a (.'. M. cluirch near his lioiue.
The lives of the -.mUv elders oI this church made a lastint;-
impression on his mind. He was reci.'i\ed into lull mem-
bership of the church when only ten y.ars old. His mother
died about this time, and his lather die<l when he was
only fifteen years old. leavini;- live orphan children. He
attended the Henllwyn Hriltish scliool for several years, where
Prof, John Kh\s, LI. U., an.l Kev. J. Cymldylan Jones, 1). 1).,
hud been pupil teachers. He also attende.l the National
school at I'enrhyn t'och until fifteen years old. At his
father's death he was ajipiiinted pupil teacher (d' the Talia-
sin scho(d. In June, 1S72, he acceiited a position as !.;-o\erii-
ment clerk in the Kliyl l". (). In September, 1S7S, he entered
Bala colleye to studv for the ministry, i^raduatini^- in June,
1882, and in the fcdlowini^- October passed tlie Synodical
examinations e(|ual first with anotherout i>f a class of twenty-
five young- ministerial cmdidates. 'i'lie fidlowiny'winter he
attended lectures at the Liverpo.d I'niversity and had char.g-e
of a new Knglish church in the neii^-hborhond of IJootle. Dur-
ing- his university career he \\-as a]ip. unted missionery to
Khassia Hills, in Ass.im. India, but, owing to one objection-
able condition then rei|uired, IjuL since abolished, he resig-ned
and caine to the United States, landing- in New York, June
24,. 1883. After spending a lew weeks in Ohio, Wisconsin,
Dakota and Minnesota, he located for four months in the
Blue Earth countv Welsh settlement to teach Toiiir Sol Fa
system of music in the various churches to the young- ])eople.
In January, 1S,S4, he acce[ited an unamimous call io the pas-
torate of the Mankato, '/.ion, and C.irme! churches, whom he
served with great acceptance and success until ISSS, when he
became pastor of the Minneapcdis Welsh church for (.)ne year.
lie returned \.o his old field in IJlue Ivirlh county in Fei)ruary,
1SS">. In ()ct.d>er, 1SS(,. he married Miss Lizzie, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Wigley, of Judson. Minn. His bel.ived
wife died in March, IS'mi. During his >tav. the Mankato
church Iniilt a line brick edifice and ])aid for same, Zion and
Carmcl liquid. ited large debts they had incurred in building
their churches. In Lebruary. 1S')4, he resi^-ned the Line
Earth countv churches and took j.-istoral charge ol the C. .M,
THK WKLSH IN MINNESOTA. 223
church, of Cliicanu, where lie nnw hilnirs. Mr. Jones is one
of the al.lesl ..f tlie vonn- Welsh ministers of America.
JONKS, I{I':V. JOHN !•:. Uom at IVusen-ri-. Trwed-vr-anr-
parish, Canlij^'-aiishire, Wales, .M.ircli '', ls2s. Son of Win.
and Frances Jones. Ivlucaled at the i,'-rammar school of Xew
Castle Einlyn and at. the ])rivate C(illeL;e at [danelli, Carmar-
thenshire, lieg-an preachin-- at Clyn Artheii, Cardii^Miishire,
afjout IS.Sl. In the fall of 1SS4, while at the colle-e in
Llanelli hj recjived a call from the C m-re-ational churches
of Bclmonte and St. Clair, Pa., which lie .accepted. There
he was ordained January 7, IS.'^S. July 2f>, IS.'^.s, he married
Catherine, dau-hler of I^ees and M.iry Williams. ,.f I'ottsville,
Pa., the noted Welsh minister, I\V:\ . Roderick K. Williams,
ofticiatini;. About lS<,n he moved to f.aiisford. Pa., thence
after i\\» years he went to Minersviile, Pa. In the spriiiL;- of
1865 he paid a visit to his native lan<l. His next charj^re was
at Newl)uri,r, ( ).. where lie remained six years. There he c.n-
tracted hay fever and on his physician's advice removed to
near (iranville, ()., .111(1 thence to Oak Hill, O. In lS7<i he
went to Andenried and .lanesville. Pa., when' he tailored over
si.x years. Thence he moveil to F.oni;- Creek. Iowa, where
he ministereil ei.irht years, thence to old .Man"s creek for four
years, and thence in July, IS'i4, to F^ake Crvst.il, Minn., to
take char,!;-e of tlie S.ilem Congregational church at Caniliria,
Minn. Mr. Jones is an able preacher and a most wortliv
christian and has been eminently successful as .i pastor. He
has always taken a threat interest in the Welsh luslcdd fudnii
and won many prizes bir essays. He has .ilso been a fre(pient
contributor to Welsh periodicals. His children are: .Marv,
wife of John L. Jones, of f^ake Crvstal. I'^annie, (deceased)
late wife of Edward Jones, .\nnii', wife of C\rus Tudor, cd"
Iowa City, Iowa, Kate, wife of Rev. J. Alexander Jenkins, of
Mount Cariiiel, P.i., Cwen. ICvaii .iiid John H.
,J<)M':S, JOHN I. Dorn at Idwyn lle-hv. IVn-v-Cae, parish
of Lhinywyryfon, Cardii^anshire, Wales. November 1.^, ISl.x
His father's name was Isaac Jones. I, ike most Welshmen he
had stronj;- reli,i,'-ious convictions from his s-outli, and at the
ag-e of thirteen years united with the C.iKinistic Methodist
church. About IS.^i, he cniiL.'-r.itcd to Jacks.m countv, Ohio,
where in IS.^S he married Miss ICsther Jones, daughter (d'
Wm. Jones (Co/uilnil ). He was an active worker there in
Bethel church and helped to or-aiiize its Sund.iv sclio.d and
for three vears was its suiierintendcnt. lie was .i \er\ stroii-
22C> THE WELSH IN MINNICSOTA.
anti-shivcry ui^-'italor und an ai^'-^rcssivc tcnii>craiu'c worker.
May l(t, 1S3<-, Ik' came with tlio Jackscjn colony to South IJoiid,
Minn., and hK-atod on a claim on Winneopa creek, near Sei(jn
church, which church he helped to or^-aniy.o and of which he
was made one of the first ehlers. In lS(.4-S-(. he was county
commissioner of IJlue ICartli county. About 1S72 he removed
to Chester, Minn., and there hel]ied to ort^anize a church <^r
which he was an elder tor two vears, when he returned to
Rlue Kartii county, in l.S7.=.. In ISs4 1iis wile died. He re-
moved to Tracv in ISSd and there died on January 2, 1SS7.
His children are: Win. 1 ). Jones, of Tracy, Minn., Jane, wife
of Koes Davis, of Marshall, David K. Jones in I.lalio, ICdward
F. Jones, station ay^nt of N. \V. Ky.. at Canton, S. D., and
Lizxio, wife of \Vm. Mor-aii. of hlaho.
-JONES, .101 IN .J.-- Son of John and ICli/.al.eth Jones. Dorn
Septemher lo, lS4ii. at Tynllwvn, Merionethshire, N. Wales.
Came witli his parents to Welsh I'rairie, Wis., in 1S4S. In
1S<.() he attende.l school at I'orta-e, where later he entered
the dry yoods st..re of Mr. For]>es, as a clerk. In l.S(,5 he went
to Berlin, Wis., where he was ent;aL:ed in the dry Lj-oods busi-
ness witli Mr. Forbes for seven \ears. From there he went
to Marquette, Mich., and was with Watson »S: Palmer for
twelve years. In 1S.S4 he came to Minneapolis and opened a
business on Franklin and Twelfth avenue south, with K. H.
Jones, under the name of J. J. Jones A: Co., where a lan;e
trade was secured from the start. In order to have a buildiiii;-
adapted to the stock carried, the Jones block was built in 1SS(,
on Franklin and Fourteenth avenue south, where the store
still continues. In IS'M. Mr. J. J. Jones became sole owner
and carries a well selected stock ni fiueig-ii and domestic
yoods and is doini;' a i,'-ood business. Mr. Jones was broULjht
up in the Calviiiistic Methodist church, in which his father,
John Jones, 7'vi///:.-vi/, was a taithlul (K'<icoii for many years
at Welsh Prairie, Wis., and r.ristol Crove, Minn., but'havin-
spent years away from any Welsh church he became an active
worker in the Presbyteri.in church, and now is a member of
the First Presbyterian church of Minne.qx dis.
flONKS, IIOX.'JOIIX N.-Dorn at Dinas, Cwm Khondda,
(llannioryanshire, Wales, April 13, IS.so. His jiarenls, Thos-.
and Marv Jones, emi,L;Tated to America when he was ipiite
young-, and settled at Youni^stowii, Ohio. On the Stli of June,
1S72, at Chestnut K'idge, Ohio, he married Miss Jemima Jen-
kins, dauuhter of Kdward and Marv Jenkins. He removed to
J. J. Jones.
MINNEAPOLIS.
C. E. Davis.
MINNEAPOLIS.
^ J
W. R. Edwards, Editor.
TEACV, MINN.
Richard Bumford.
Wm. Jones
MASKATO, Mis:
Peter Lloyd.
TKEASIRER
iS^wsn iPritchard.
^l/Mi.tl CEVflTAL, MINN.
John -C. Jones.
Tim WJiLSH IN MINNKSOTA. 227
Diinvillc, 111., in 1S7.^, and rcprjscntod the state of Illinois at
the yrand lud^-'c of Foresters at Louisville, Ky., in 1S7'». In
the sprinj^- of fssu he settled at Ked Wood, Minn., where he
still resides. He was elected a meniher of the Minnesota lei^'-
islature in 1SS(.. During'' President ] larrison's administration
he was aj)i)ointed to a elerk.--hii> at Washington, hut after four
jjicmths' service resi;,'-ned to accept a position as special ayent
of the Interior department. In the fall (>( 18')4 he was ag-ain
elected to the le^.fislature liy a ^n'od nuijority. He is well
posted in all the i)olitical issues of the day and is a readv ami
able puhlic si)eaker, and durini,'- a number of the late political
£il»ipai;^iis has been emidoved to stumji the state in the inter-
est of the Kepuljlican ])arty, which he has alwavs done with
g^reat acceptance. In 1S'»5 he was made deputy labor in-
spector.
JOMOS, JOHN 1*.— JJorn near Conw.iy, Carnarvonshire,
Wales, in IKd'i. Son of Henry aud Jane Jones, of RhywCocli.
Married Miss Elizabeth Davies, of l>;owen, same shire. In
18.'^8 they emigrated to .Minersville, I'a., and thence in 1S54
to Cambria, Wis., and thence to Judson. Minn., in l.S().>, where
Mr. Jones died I)eceml)er .^0, iSS't, and Mrs. Jones, Januarv
31, 18'J3. They were honest, ].ious people, Mr. Jones bein-' a
very 'iiealous and faithful member id' the Con^reLrational
church, and Mrs. Jones (d' the C. .M. church. Their children
are: William, Jane, wile of John Ivlwards, Henry, Hugh
and Thomas.
JO>'l':S, .lOlIN i: — IJorn at Stratford, Kulton C(..unty, N. Y.,
April 1, 1S44. His father, Richard 1'. Jones, was a native of
Tyddyn-Ku',^an, near Trellys, Carnarvcnishire, Wales. His
mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Williams, was
born at ISodaden, two miles from the city of Carnarvon. She
was related to the ilistin.^-uished authors ,ind sch(dars, Wm.
Owen :(,':r//vi/ llafrcm, J.din Pu-h \ loan up Jli, Fcddx;^)
and David W. Puyh. After attending school for a time at
Dolyeville, Herkimer county, N. Y., youny Jones removed
witli his jiareiits to Columbus, Wis., in ISSb. There he spent
three years in the tlistrict and villai^e sciiools, and was appren-
ticed to Daniel IC. Dasset, of Danville, Wis., to learn tlie dru<,r
business. During- the Rebellion he enlisted in the Forty-lirst
Wisconsin. October 2S, 1,S(,7, he married at Waupun, Wis.,
Miss Jt)sie (). Squires, a most estimable lady, formerly from
Ehnira, N. Y. He serve<l one yt.'ar ;is assistant purchaser bir
the U. r. K. K. Co., at Omaha, Neb., and then returned \o
22S THK WELSH IN MINNi:.SOTA.
his favorite occupation of i>h:irni;u y. In ISSl he located at
Mankato and started a larire tlru,','- store. He carried on the
drug Imsiness at the same time at IJurlinLrton, Wis., and Lit-
tle Rock. Ark., hut these he s.-on closed out to concentrate
all his business at .Mankato, and in a short time he had the
larg-est druj^- Ik. use in S.mthern Minnesota. He was elected
president (d' the Minnesota State Pharmaceutical association
in June, 1SS<,. Ho was jiuhlic sjiirited and larii'elv interested
in various business corporations at .Mankati.i. July 2u, ISS'i,
his beloved wile died and on May '•, KS't.i, he passed away at
Denver, Col., whence he had gcme for his health. He was a
man of splendid business ability and ,L;enuine christian char-
acter, -^--reatly loved and esteemeii bv all. He left surviving;-
two dau<;-liters: Ivlna 1'. and ICsther E.
JOXES, SKIMi'P. LIOWIS l*.-i:,,rn January b, IS.^o,
in Cartliganshire. Wales. Son of Thos. J. Jones, late of
Cambria, .Minn. In lS.;o emiL,'-rated with his i)arents to Jack-
son county, ()., \\here in ISS.s he married Miss Mary I)a\is.
In May, IS5(., he came to .Minnesota with the Jacks(m colony,
aud settled in the llig Woods settlement in LeSueur county.
where his wife sixjn died. AI)out 1S(>1 he married his present
wife and soon after removed to Cambria, Minn. In August,
1862, he enlisted in Co. E. '»th .Minnesota, and took i>art in tlie
battlesof Cuntown, Tupelo, Holly Springs, Nashville and Mo-
bile. For gallant comluct in the charge on the rebel fortifica-
tions at Nasluille he was promoted from the ranks to be ser-
geant. He was (ine of the best and bravest soldiers in the regi-
ment. Since the war he has been engaged in farming, most of
the time in I'.lue lOarth county, but b>r the past three or b)ur
years at JJIulfton, Otter Tail countv, Minn.
JOMCS, 31 KS. .^lAlMi.MMCT-i n>///,.>/n. IJorn at Cefnhir
I5ach,near fdanrhaiadr Mochnant, Mi. ntgc.meryshire, Wales,
in l.S()4. There she was married to J(.lin 1). JniKs. In 1S4(,
they emigrated t(. near Waukesha, Wis., .md frcm there in
1S5() to near Oshknsh, Wis. In the spring of 1S,^4 the faniily
moved to Minnesota and for two or three months h.cated in
the Welsh settlement of LeSueur countv, anil in August of
the same year moved t(. ,i claim by Kush Lake in section 2.=^ of
Judson. Here Mr. Jones died in June, 1S(,.;, anil Mrs.
Jones followed him Julv S, ISTo. They were thrifty, honest.
godfearing people. Noble examples of (.ur sturdv Welsh
pioneers. They left surviving live children: Thos. J. Ji.nes,
South IJend, Minn.: John C. Jones. C.imbria, Minn.; Wm.
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 220
Jones, M;inkat(), Minn.; .Mrs. M;irir:irct Jones, dl' Winchester,
S. D;ik., and Mrs. Sarah J. Ciilherlsun, ..f Ke,l Win--, Minn.
.lONES, RICIIAKD— Hum .at LKvvn,Mcu-i, parish' ..f IJan
Badcrn Fawr. near Alierystwvth, Cardii^anshire, Wales, Fii.-
ruary 20, is;,:. Son n[ J.din and IClizal.ctli (Kces) Jones.
Came in 1S4') to Tviekini;- eountv, ()., .md thmce to .M;iri|uette
county, Wis. In February, ISi.i,, moved to Jndson, Minn.
July 13, 1.S6S, marrie.l .Mrs. Kliy.aheth Kreese, of Canihria, and
the same year settled on his present lar-e I'arni in that town.
Through industry and wise manai.'-enient he has ae(|uired eon-
siderahh- property. lie is a man ol" the strictest inte-ritv
and kindest impulses His children are; ( loiner, Alice, Dora,
Everett, (Iwesvn and Aid.ie.
.lONKS, 31 KS". Ki('IIAKl)--i;orn at Newport, llerkinier
-county, N. Y., Suptemiicr 12, ls4it. Daui^rhter of John ]•].
and Dinah Davies, the lirst settlers of the present town of
Camhria. In tlu> summer of IS.^s slu' tau^lit in a lo<,'- school
house on her lather's farm, tlie lirst scho.d in t'.amhria. March
K., ISU?,. she m.arried David llreesc, then a s.ddier in Companv
E, Ninth .Minnesota, and who died in Andersonvillc i)risoii
September 4, 1S(,4. July 1.^ IS(,S. she was joined in marria--e
to Kichard Jones, of Cambria. She is a woman of excellent
christian character and a nuniber of Salem Ci>n<,'-. church.
JONES, HICn.VKI) F.— Korn at I'tica. N. Y., Au--ust 2.^,
1S57. Removed with parents to C.imbria, Wis., when ;ibout
eight years old. Lived there about vi^liteen months and then
moved to IJan^Mir, Wis., where tliev staved live ve.ars.
Thence they went to IIIlt Creek, Wis.', b>r hve vears. Left
home about 1S74 to learn the traile >•( carria^'e in.ner at
Sparta, Wis. In the summer of isso rame to .Mankato .and
worked in the carriage shop ,d' II. V. Jensen for one vear.
He then accepted positions ;is salesman in the clothiny houses
of Pond Bros., and L. Ilenline, and in IS.Sb started in the cloth-
ing- business for himself, buyint,-- out McConnell. Married
Miss Mary Iv Evans, dau-hter <d' 1). I), and IClenor Ev;ins, of
Mankato, Febru:irv 2.,, 1SS7. His wife .lied Nov. ."Ml, 1S')2.
JONES, KEV. UirilAK!) (i.- Horn .May 14, ISIS, in UylTryn
Ardudwy, Merionethshire, Wales. Son of John and Ciw'en
Jones (Oir^vnr). February, 1S41, he married ICllen, <lau<i-li-
ter of William Jones, of I'antirwyn, IJaneirrvn, and ;l month
later emii,'-rated to America. After .-i short stav at Newark,
t)., they came to K'.uitie, Wis., where tiiey ma.le another
short sojourn and removed to W.iukesha, where .Mr. Joius
33(1 THK WKLSII IN' MIN'XKSUTA.
beg-an prcaLiiinu'. Aftor four or tivo years he moved to Elue
Mounds, Wis., and wliile residini,'- here he was onhiined to the
full work <.r tlie ministry hv the Sym.d of the C. M. churches,
which convened in June, IS.So, at Seion church, Welsh Prai-
rie, Wis. In ISi.u he moved to t'leveland, Le Sueur county, and
was prominent in or^-.ini/.ini;- IClim church. ] fe ministered to !
the Welsh churches ol' Le Sueur and lllue ICartii counties the j
balance of his days. His wife died February :;4, 1S8'», and in
1891, he married Miss Miriam, dau^^diter of Kichard Rowlands, I
late of Judson, Minn. .Mr. Jones was a threat student and I
very fond of ho.iks. His library was worth several thousand i
dollars, and tlie largest in the settlement. llis inte^'ritv was
above suspicion and in .all his many linanciai transactions his
word was alw.ays accei)ted with the fulKst conlldence and
never betrayed, lie was ,-i <x 1 llnancier and by economv,
thrift and loresii^ht had ;iccumul;ited (|uile a b>rtune. He
died May M, ls'i4, leavmi,'- him survi\in«,'- his s.-cmd wife and
five children by his first wife, viz: Joint i;., William, Mary,
wife of John C. iCvans, IClizabeth J., wife of Wni. Thomas,
and Kllen, wile <d' ICvan .Mor-;in.
K)M<:S, \l\:\. IMCII.MII) (;.-i:orn in EarKtown. Lan-
cashire, ICnii'land. in lS(,o. His p.are'nts are Kichard and Su-
sannah (J.inesi (Irirtitii, now liviuL;- in Manchester: his lather
bein.tcan honored deacon in the Welsh Con^reLrational church.
Booth street east. I^ducated first in the National school of
Bag-illt, Wales, where his p.irents resided, then at the Gram-
mar school of Holywell, from whence he graduated to enter
upon a professional career. He was articled as an architect
to the Architectural department of the L:nicashire and York-
shire railway in the city of Manchester, reniaininir with the
company for thirteen years. Durin^r this time he took atl-
vanta<,'-e of the evenim,-- sessions of the \'ictoria Universitv.
He was broug-ht early under reliL;-ious inlluenccs and was some-
what actively eui^-aurod in church work ail his life, He was
received into full connectit>n in the old (iartside street Con-
g-reg-ational church, of Manchester, by the Kev. Kichard Rob-
erts, the first Sunday in May, 1S75. Removintr to the other
side of the city he united with the (Jueen's R<iail church where
his future christian work beL,'-an to develop. This church be-
injj- unable to suii]>ort a minister, all the male members of the
church turned jiastors and i)re.ichers, an<l it was here he first
exercise.l his ".lawn." He was set apart ;is .i l;iy i>reacher in
the Booth street east Con;j:re,L,'-.ation;il church :it the aire of
THE WKLSII IX MINXKSOTA. J.U
eiofhtecn, prcachitiLr in thr lU'i^-lilKiriiiLT ^luirclu's lnuli in I'Ji.i;-
lish and Wcl^li, .-IS :l member ..r llic .M-nulK'stor and Sair..nl
Lay I'rcaclurs association. In January, isss, lu' married
Miss M. A. Kvans, tlic daii--hter ol ICIijali ICvans, of Poiil
Rol.ert, now nl' MiUvaukee, and the fnllou-'in- Aj-ril settled, as
an architeet. in San I'Vaneise.). In the fall of ISS') lie entered
the Paeillc Tlieolo^-ieal Seminary. r^niaininL'' l"or two years,
supplyini;- oeeasionally the Welsh cluirehes ol San i-'ranciseo
and Oakland. In IS'iii lie entered I'nion Seminary ol ChieaL^o,
where he graduated i:. 1>. Duriiii;- hi^ last Seminary year he
started the North Side Mission,..! the Plymouth eliureh. ol
Milwaukee, where, under difli.ulties ;i ehureh was or-anized
with a memhershiji of t\\'entv-one, whieh has unw L;rown to
he a stronLT institution. Aeeeptinu' a rail from the t'on^re-
g-ational church of I',iynes\-ille. .Minn., he was ordained July
14, 1S')1, and served the church for over two years very suc-
cessfully. He then resi-aied to accept the I'resbvlerian
churches id" Sh:Lk-o]>e(.' and ivlen Pr.iirie. where he now lahors
faithfully and efficiently. Uurinir ln\ hrief stay.d eleven
months he has remodeled the church at l':.ien Prairie and is
huilditiL,-- a new church at Shako]>ee.
.lOMCS, Kiev. IJICM.MII) \V.— r.orn near the Parish
church of IJan Patrick, .at Setollant. .VuLrlesea, W.ales, Octo-
ber '), l.s:,;. His father died when he w.as but six ye.ars ,.ld.
and when he was ten years old his mother also died. Ilis
parents were both Li'odlv people and ua\e their youn;,'- s(m an
early reliLcious bent. He eiuinrated to .Vnierica in 1S45, reach-
ing New York City on March l.V He hrcated tirst at Miners-
ville, Pa., where in the fall of ls4i, he beuan his ministerial
work with the Calvinistic Methodist church. In July, 1S47,
he removed to Trenton, Oneida county, N. Y., and at the
Gywanfa of the t\ .M. held at Rome.' N. Y., in is,s7, :\Ir.
Jones was ordained to the full work of the ministry. In April,
186.-?, he moved to Judsoii, Minn., where he preached to the
C. M. churches for some years and alterwanls to the Welsh
Presbyterians during- the few years -lu h a church existed in
Judson. In b'^s: he moved to Miner count v. South D.akota,
where he now resides and i>reaclies to the Preshyteri.m
churches ,.f the nei-diborhood. 'riiou-h havin-- had but few
educational advanta-es he has studie.l theolo-y well and his
sermons always show t;dod thoUL,--!!! and research. He is a
m;in of strotiLT reliL^ious convictions and of much determina-
tion and force of character.
232 TIIK WICI.SU IN MINNIvSOTA. I
JONES, I). I)., i;i:\ . TIIOA! AS (iltVIM VDI) , Taiahnf-)
Born at IV'ny.-ac, in IChbw \'alo, ^[nl1nl(Ulthshirc, Wales, Jan
uary (., ls;o. Sun of Krv. Cril'litli .loiU's, a (.'on.LiTc-'atioiial
minister, and his wile Hannah, ihiu^iiler ot 'I'honias Critlilhs,
puddlini,-- master, l'en-\ -darren. His father was ordained ;
at IJethel, Victoria, .Monnioiillisliire, and served hesides, the
churches of Sardis in 1 'ontN pridd, IClini. in .\[yny(hl C'ynHv.ic
and Sihiani, in Cein L'ribwr. and died at the advanced a i,'-e of
82 at Ash Hall, t'owhrid-e, Montgomeryshire, at the resi-
dence of his dau.uliter, Mrs. Daniel Owen, proprietor id the
Western Mail. His mother died .it L'efen C'rihwr, .ii^'-ed 77 j
years. Tav.alaw w.as hris^ht in his studies and receive<l a fair {
education. He had also inherited from his mother talent for |
music and won many jirizes as .a musici.an and conqioser at I
. the Eiilcddfothin, under the ad jmlicition <d" Tanymarian, |
Icuan Ciwyllt, leuan Ddu. OwiKni (".went and other j^reat
masters of music in W.iles. At the ai;e of 2n he he^an his
career as nuisical adjudicator, in which ca])acitv he has served
fre(iuently thereafter. Soon .after .attainin;^- his majority he
became a lecturer on musical subjects and was heard in many
of the princip.il cities of Wales. .Vt the ai^v of 24 he m.arried
Miss Kel.ecca, dauii-hter of Wm. ICv.ms, of I'ont-v-pridd. 'IMie
Jollowiny year he liecame :i co.il shipper at Cardiff. While
there he conceived the idea (d compiliuLT and puMishini;- a col-
lection of choral jiieces under the title, '"Y Drvsorfa C.orawl"
(The Choral Treasury:, which was the fore-runner of all
choral work in Wales. In his 27th year his father's church,
at Elini, noticing- his success as ,i s]>eaker on nuisical subjects,
invited him to enter the ministry, which he did, commencing-
at that church. At .^n he became private secretary to Thos.
(ice, the well known jiublisher of l>enbiL,'-li. Subseipientl v he
became a teacher in Dr. Willi.'iins' subsidised school at Holy-
well. Hero he beg-an to [mblish a musical encyclopedia, which
-was ahead of the times, and therebire failed of sufficient pat-
ronage. He now removed to Aberdare, started a printing-
office, and on the Sabbaths supplied various churches in the
vicinity. December, 1S(,(,, he emig-rated to America, and
February 22, 1S(,7, was ord;iined i>astor of the Cong-, church
of Slating-ton, Pa. In 1S(,S-') he s.rved the church of Summit
Hill, Pa. Went to Arvoiiia, Kansas, in lS7o. and bought a
farm, and in 1S71-2 held a co-p.ist,,rate with Dr. Walter D.-ir-
rows. In lS72-.^-4 he ..ccupied the chair of Fine Arts at the
State Normal scIi.h.I of ICmpori.,, .md in 1S74 was elected to
TKK WlCI.su IX lMINN'I'St)TA. 233
the chair ipf tho (.'lassies, Imt tlimuyh excessive work as direc-
tor of tlie Kini.oria rhnral rnioii. he siKldelily l(.sthis voice
and had to resii^n his eoUe^'e position. In lS7.s-(> lie served
tho Coni.;-re.L;atioiial church (d' Coal \'alley, 111., thence he
came to Minnesota and ministered to the Salem, (loshen and
South Bend > lunches in Uliie ICarth county lor three years,
when he received a serious injury \>y an accidental fall from
his hu!,'-.t,'-y, an<l retired to his Kansas farm to recuperate.
Served the church at Morris Run. I'a., in ISSSandlhe ]OnL;-lish
Preshyterian church of Antrim, I'a., in 1SS'»-'H1. In 1S'»1 un-
dertook to establish with the ].uhlisher, 1). (). ICvans, "The
American Musical Times, ■" Imt his health aijain hroke down
and he retired once more to his farm. K'allvin^- he acce]ited
a call to the church at Kala, Kansas, in IS'M. lie is a man
of much ability as a jireaclier, jioet, musician, essayist an<l
critic.
JONKS, TIIOS. <>,- i;,,rn March .;. lS2.s, .,t Ty Du, Parish of
Llansadwrn, AuLrlesea, Wales. Son ot John and Mari,'-aret
Jones. Emi^Tated to K'acine, Wis., in sprin;,'- of IS.sO, where
he resided six years, and then removed to Calamus lownshi]>,
Dod-^rc county. Wis. where he bouLrht a farm. Married .lane,
daus,'-hterof Wm. and Mari;-.iret K.v.ins ( luirli'j^orh ,, in ISol. In
1867 removed to Kliie ICarth eotuitv, Minn., and located on a
farm in Judson, from which in the spriiii;- of ls7,s he retired
and built him a line residence at Mank-ato. where he still lives.
His first wife died September ,s, 1SS4, and November IS, ISSS he
married his present wife, iNIary, daui^hter of Wm. and Mary
Williams { /'rj/-y-/>/yi/ 1, ])od<,ro county, Wis. Mr. Jones is a man
whose word is as i^ood as his note — scrupulouslv honest and
just in all his dealings. Hy thrift and industrv he has ac-
quired a i,'-oodly amount of this world's yoods and has not
been neglectful of the world to come. Tie and his wife are
loyal and consistent members of the Mankato C. M. church.
JOXKS, TIIO.AI.VS WVXM':.- llnrn July o, 1S50, at Abera-
man, (llannioruranshire, Wales. Tlis ].arents were Jeiikin and
Elizabeth Jones and he is brother to K'ev. J. Wynne Jones, of
P.altimore, Md. In ls.s4 the lamilv came U> Union, Wis., and
in lS(i2 moved to Columbus, Wis. In addition to the district
school Mr. Jones sprnt two years. Isi.S 't at Kij.on ccdh-v. lie
then entered mercantile business at Keaver Dam, Wis., where
he remaiiU'd for nine vears. In 1S7'» he became travelin;;-
salesman lor 'i\ .\. Chapman .V Co., Milw.aukee. and the
f.dlowini,'- vear rei-reseule.! C. l]. .\n.lrews .V t'o. in the same
234
THK WKr.HIt IN MINNKSOTA
capacity. lie rciiKiiiU'd with tlKir. Liiilil 1SS4 when he ac-
cepted a like position with Keed, Miird.uk .V Fisher, ol' Chi-
catro. Since ISS') he has lieen general salesman l'..r tile
Northwest of the ilell, t'onrail .V t'o., of Cliica-o, with lie;id-
(|uarters at Minneapolis in llie Svildicate lllock on Nicollet
Ave. He married Miss Marv V. Harris F.lirnarv 15, 1S77, at
ISeaver Dam. Wis., .,iid thev have one son K, vears ol.l.
JONES, \\ M. i:<,rn iie.ir IJ.inrhiadr-mochnant, M,ml--oin-
crvshire, Wales, in Septemher. lS4n. Son of .hdiii and M.ir-
(.^raret .lon.s i ( )shkosli i. I'^niL^Tated with hi-., parents to Amer-
ica in 1S4(, and settK-d on a l.irm near W.inkeslia, Wis., whence
they removed toOshkosh in IsSti. and to a farm near South
llend, Minn., in .\ii-nst, lS,s4. In Decemher. lSi,,>. he enlisted
in Coinpanv 11. Second Minnesota C'a\-.ilrv, and w.as ])roiiioted
to tirst seri;eant. llis regiment ser\ed in the Indian cam-
I)aii,rns. At the close ol the war in lS(,.she accepte.l a ]iosi-
tion as clerk in the st..re.d' Isaac .Marks, .at M.ankato. In
l.Sf.T he I'oriiied a co-p.irtiurship with Isaac fheshire in the
dry i^-oods husiness ,it Maiik.ito. which continued until isTS,
when he hoimlit out .Mr. Cheshire's interest and soon after
removed the store t.i Lake Cryst.il, where he continued in bus-
iness nntil Janu.iry. I.s,s2, when he became treasurer of IJluc
Earth county. He held thisoflice b>r seven years, and then
entered the linn of iloyntoii, I'ijKr \ .loiu s, .and conducted its
husiness of i^-eneral merchandise, at Oard.m C'itv, for two
years. He tie.xt r.inoved to Fake t'rvstal and in connection
with Mr. FMward Washburn or-anized the Fake Crystal .Mer-
cantile coiiiji.my, and conducted its business until December,
FS'»4, when it was cl.ised .ml and Mr. Joius removed back to
Mankato. Forming;- a partnership with Wm. IF Jones, they
opened a grocery store tlure in Ajtril, IS'13. Mr. Jones was
married to Miss JClla H. Dean in the fall <.f FS77, and they
have one claui,'-hler.
J<)M':S, lllA . W.^l. .\.— F„,rn at Tynlon, Edeyrn, Carnar-
vonshire, I''ebru.iry 17, ls,;2. Son of Wm. and Ann Jones.
His maternal i^r.mdf.ither was Wm. » )\ven, a renowne<l clock-
maker of the same place. YounL,'" Jones went to Li\erpool in
1S4'». and there be.uaii preachiiiL;- at I'.ill Mall street church,
in 1S(,2. F:mi;.;Tated to T'tica, N. Y., in 1S(,(,. He was
licensed to preach l>v the C. .M. I'rrsbvtery of th.at locality in
Aui,nist of that year and ord. lined to the full work of the min-
istry in June, 1S7,'., .md pre.iclie.l to the Welsh churches of
K'ome, C.att.irau-nsand l-"lo\d, N. Y., until F'ebruarv 14, 1.VS(,,
Tlin WKI.SII IN MINNlvSOTA. 23o
when he took past,. r;il cliar.<,rc of Saroii and Eliiii rluirolu's, Le
Sueur county, Minn., wlure he stiil eontinues. Mav II, 1S(.7,
he inarrieil ICIkn, <lauL; ht.r olOwen Davids, at l^'lovd, X. V.
They had one son. Wni. C. .lones, who resides at llolhind
Patient, N. Y. His wile die.l Deeenil.cr M. Isi.'i. Mr. Jones
is one of the most honest and eonseientious of men. and a
faithful, earnest lal.orer f,,r the L.,rd.
JOMOS. W.M. !■;. Horn .at Welsh^o,,!, Mont-,,mervshire,
Wales, in IS.^1. Son of Davi.l an.l i'Ji/.ahelh .lon.s, who ^^ni-
grateil to Newark. Ohio, in isll. in ls4i, thev luovrd to
Jackson county, ()., where in IS,^.',. \Vm. E. Jon. s married
MissMariraret.dau-hter.d' ICvan ,ind .lane ( Irifli ths. hite.d' Le
Sueur county. In .M.iv. IsSi,, he came with the Jackson col-
ony to S.mth Kend, Minn., and soon locale<i on a f.irm in f.e
. Sueur county. His wife died, in IsT.^andin ISSlhe married
his i)resent wife, .Miss Mar-arel Davies, sister of Mr. ('. l<].
Davies, of Minneap. d is. Me has had nine chihlren, four of
whom are married, l'',li/-.,ilieth, wife cd' ICvan \'. .lones, Jud-
son, David, who married Jane, dauuhter of D.ivid Jones. ,d'
Sharon, Mary, wife of Ihrn. J<d. Idoyd, of Sh.iron, and .Mar-
garet, wife of ICdward J. ICx.ms, Lc Sueur countv. Mr. Jones
is a man of excellent jud-inent and character and has always
taken an active interest in Christi.in work. .\ few vears ayo
he retired from his farm to Le Sueur City where he now re-
sides in comfort.ihle circumstances.
JOMOS, W.M. !!.- Horn OctoI.er 12. 1S(,4, at South Keu.l,
Minn. Son of Ivlward R. an.l Jennette Jones. His father
was a son of Thomas Jones i .!/,//> .!/,/:.•;), and his mother a
daughter of the well known divine, K'ev. Jeiikin J. iilcins. He
was educated in the Mankato schools, and clerked in the t,'-ro-
cery store of R. J. Thomas for ahout nine years. In IS'io ho
went to South Eutte, Mimtana, and was depute postmastiT
for a year. He then returneil to Mankato ami in ( )ctolK'r,
1801, opened a grocery store and was .|uite successful until
the wintered' 1S'I,V4, when his store was buruc'd. He so.m
started again and in .\pril, IS't.^, formed a partiurship with
Wm. Jones. He is eneri^etic an<l verv popul.ir.
.lONKS, W.^I. J.— Korn Xovend.er 2'K ls.;4, at Llwvn.ldewi.
Cardiganshire, Wales. Son <>l J. dm and I':ii/.aheth Jones, who
emigrated with their children to a place calleh Welsh Hills,
near Newark, Ohio, in 1S4'», and thence in IS.^o to Montelh>,
Maniuette countv. Wis. He married Miss ICllen, <l,iugh.
ter of John Hughes i /.'ivi/ .]/,/,,•/), in January, 1S(,1. In Jutie,
236 THR wKlsii in minnksota.
1.S(.2, he removed to lllue K;irth cnunty and located on a tract
of land in llutternut \'allrv, where lie still resides and which
he has improv-ed to a \cry \akial>lc larni. In the Sioiix war
of 1S(,2 lie was one of the New Tlni (kdcnders. He and liis
wife are w.irtliy nienihcrs of Jerusalem C. M. church. Their
children are: Jane. I.i/.zie, Katie. Arthur. Harriet and Mai.le.
JOMOS, Kl':\'. \\M. .>IA('IIN<>. Horn at Tydd.vii Hach,
Blaen-y-Cwm, I'enm.ichno. An-lesea, in 1S4.^. Son of Owen
and Catherine Jones, who ,L;a\e Iheir son a \-erv careful moral
training. At the ai^e of 12 years he was led by his friend,
Joe Bach, i;iaen-y-t'wni. (now Rev. Joseph Koherts <d' New-
York city) to Join Khyd-y-Meirch C. M. church. He was
shephenl to his father's sheeji in his l,ovho.,ds days. Attended
school for a very short time at Kh vd-y-.Meirch church and at
the parish school. He;,--;,,, preachitiL;- in the latter part of ]S(,2.
Soon after this he went to I'lyno!,^ school under the famous
teacher and i)oet "IChen I'^ardd."" .ind his successor "Dewi
Arfon." After linishin- his curse at this school Mr. Jones
tauyht for two years at K'hyd-d.lu at fo.,t of Snowdon. Here,
also, he married on Deceud.er ^. ISi.s. Miss Alice Williams.
He was ordained at the same time as Rev. Thos. E. HuL:hes
at Cambria, Wis., in ISTii. In March. 1S71. he came to Hlue
Earth county to take pastoral char-e <d Salem ami Jerusalem
C. M. churches, where he continued to labor with ^-reat ac-
ceptance until December, IS'il, except the vi-ars 1S7<> to ISSO,
when ho ministered to the cluin-hes of Ixnnia and Watertown,
Wis. From December. IS'M. i,, April, ls'15. he had chartce
of the church at Picatonica, Wis. He has now retired to his
beautiful farm near Lake Crystal to enjov a short vacation.
Mr. Jones is an able and effective preacher and pastor and is
in the noon day of his strenn^th. He is also ])Ossessed of an
excellent Christian spirit. His children are: Owen, Richard,
Katie, Allie .and Joseph.
JONES, HON. \V3I. r.— Dorn (m a farm named (r///. at
Llanwrthwl, I'.reconshire, Wales, Julv l.s, 1S2^. Son of Wil-
liam and Margaret Jones. His father was ori^-inallv from
Merionethshire, while his mother was a native of llreconshire.
Soon after the subject of this sketch was born his j.arents
moved to Troedrhiwdrain, Radnorshire, where they resided
eig-ht years .and removed to Cwmvstwvth. Cardiijransliire. '
Leaving,'- the dear thouLrh humble p. irental ro.d' vouni,'- Jones
first sought his fortune in the co.d mines ,,t Trede^'ar,
Monmouthshire. In the spriny of lS4'i he emii^Tated to
THK WKLSH IN MINNKSOTA. 2o7
America, scttlini,^ lirst at Utica. X. Y., whcnco in the spriiiu:
of 1852 he removed to Jacks,>n eountv. Ohio. Here he assisted
in huihlini;- the lirst railway throu--h the eountv I'roin Ports-
mouth, havinir ch,ir,!::e oi the bhistini: in the deep rocky cuts.
lie afterwards helped to establish the Jefferson Iron furn.ice
and was one cd' the original stockholders. July .^, 1SS2, he
Married Miss Mar-aret, ilau-hter .d John and Usulla Wal-
ters, then of Jackson county, ()., but afterwards of Cambria,
Minn. In May, 1S.^(,, Mr. Jones moved with his family to
Blue Karth county, Minn., arriving- there about the last of
May. Early in June of the same year he located on the farm
still owned by him in Cambria, Minn. In 1S')2, he retired
from his farm to Lake Crystal where he owns a comfortalile
home. IJv dint of industry, economy and wise management
he and his i^ood wife have .!j;-one throu^-h all the visisitudes of
pioneer life, have raised a larL;e family of children, each and
all of whom are useful and honored members id' the commun-
ities wherein they dwell. lU'.t while carin.L;- so well for his
personal affairs Mr. Jones did not ne^'-lect the affairs of church
and state, but took a most active interest in both. One of
the founders of Iloreb church, in Cambria, Minn., and during-
his residence there, one of its principal pillars, he was faithful
as an elder, leader of song, and member. lie has also
taken an active part in political matters and during his resi-
dence in Cambria held a number of town offices, and in lS7i)
was elected t.) the State Legislature.
JOXKS, HON. \\M. II.— Lorn April fu, 1S27, at Aberffraw,
Anglesea, Wales, where he resided cm a farm until IS years
old. He was then ap]irenticed as a carpenter to one John
Owens of Aberffraw. Having completed his apprenticeship
he followed the carjienter's trade in his native town for some
years. He then removed to Caergybi and thence to Liver-
pool. In May, iss;., he married Mis-, Jane Williams, ilaugh-
ter of Thos. Williams, of Cacrnant, Ll.mfaelog, Anglesea,
Kev, Henry Kees perb.rming the ceremony at Mulberry street
church, Liverpool. In M.iy, is,s4, he emigrated to the Cnited
States and made his home for a short time in llrocddyn, .N.
Y. Thence he move<l to Milwaukee, Wis., where he resided
three years. In the s])ring of b^?7 he c.ime to Kochester,
Minn., where he tarried a few months in the employ oi the
state central committee in trauslatiii- the proposed stale con-
stitution into Welsh. He then came to Judsoti, M inn,, and
built him a home in the village where he remained working
238
TlIK WKLSU IN MINNICSOTA.
:it his trade for one year. lie then ubanddiied the carpenter's
bench and hdU^'ht his present larni in the vicinity of Jerusa-
lem church, JudsMii, where he still resides. He "is a man of
good juil,L;'nienl, strict integrity and an energetic worker in
every i,'-ood cause. He has always taken an active part in the
reliyious work of the coinniunitv and in 1S(,2 was licensed t()
preach \>v tlie C. M. churches, to which he ministered for a
few years. He is a member of the Jerusalem church. Has
held vari.>us town ollices and in ISSi, was elected to the Le<;--
islature. His wife died ()ct..ber 2, 1S'I4. Their children are
CaradoL,^, Ann, Miriam, Columbus, l^izzie and Hui^-h K.
JONKS, V. l).-fity I'assen-er and Ticket a-ent of thcdreat
Northern K'y, was born in llan'i-or, Wis., Octoljer 7, ISi.l.
Knlerinir the employment of tlu' Chicai;-o, St. Paul, Minnea-
polis \- Omaha at the a^e of 17, as a clerk in the frei!,^ht de-
l)artmcnt, he soon after was promoted to ticket clerk, then to
l)osition of chief clerk in the t'laim department at St. Paul,
and later was -iven the jMisitiou of assistant City Ticket
a^^'-ent at Minneapolis. In isss Ik- resi-iied his position in the
employ of that railroad to accept the appointment of City
Passeng-er and Ticket a_i;ent at ^Hnnea])olis lor the St. Paul,
Minneapolis iV Manitoba K'y, (now the (ireat Northern K'y)
which he has since lllle.l so acceptably that he enjoys the re-
putation of bein-- the most poi)ular ticket a^cnt in the
Twin Cities. His marke<l ability and umpiestioned inte^'rity
as a business man and the deser\ed popularity he has won
predict for him a bri-dit future.
.l()SI':iMl, i:i':\'. I:1)\VAI;1). Ilom at Pant Llwyd in Ffes-
tiniog, Merionethshire. Wales, Hecember i>. 1S54. His par-
ents remo\ed when he was a child to Tany-risiau, and in the
church at this phue he received his first religious impressions.
When he w.is 12 years old the family removed aj,'-ain to a
house they had l>uilt at Four Crosses. Here at the a-e of \?,
years Mr. Joseph wasreceixed into full membership of the
■•Tabernacle" C. M. Church under the pastorate <d' Kev.
Owen Jones, A. I'.., and at once U>n]< active part in the lit-
erary society ami rcidin- class, which were led by the pastor.
Owin^- to fniancial circumstances he was obli-ed to work in
the (piarries .ifter he was 12 years old .nid hence hail very few
educ. itional adv,inlaL;es other than wh.it he obtained from the
societies .ibo\ e mentioned and the Sabb.ilh school. He, liow-
il, IS-;
-ed
THE WELSH IN MINNICSOTA. 239
vote of his church, tlic!! th.c hiri;-cst in I'cstciiiini,'-, to i>rcj>arc
for the minislry. iMunurai^cd tluis he xciitured, with what
little monev he had saved, ti> ac(|uire an education. At first
he went to the yrauunar school at C'lymi^- under Kev. John
Kvans, A. B., then to Salop scho.d at Croesoswallt under Mr.
John Evans, M. A., and IVoni there to K.ila colle-c in issi.
Ill health preventedi him Ironi lully completini^- his course
here. In hope that a chanj^-e <d" climate would lieiielit his
health he accepted a call to the C. M. church of Milwaukee,
Wis., and heyan pastoral work there in July, ISSo. In June,
1S87, he accepted a call to the C. M. churches of "Jerusalem"
and "Bethes.la" in Waukesha county. Wis., where he was
ordained to the full work id' the ministry, lie soon removed
from there to Willi. imsliurL,--!!, la., and thence to Lime S]irinL;s,
" la., in Noveml)er, IS'i], where he has .i lari^e tield in the three
important churches >>( Lime Spi-inys, l'"oreston and Lrislol
Grove. lie is a wide reailer. sound thinker and faithful pas-
tor, lie is, also, a <j;inn[ musician and is industrious in traiii-
injc the vouni;" ]ieoplc in the ser\ice id soul,''.
LEWIS, '(JltlFFITII .}. llorn March. IS.^sT. at Llanwrin,
Montyfomeryshire, Wales, and in lS,s4 cmii^rated to the I'nited
States. After a few months stay at Ixonia, Wis., he moved
to South Kelld, Minn., in June, ISS.s. November 1, 1S(.L he
enlisted in Company 1. I'^ifth Iowa t'a\alry, and tool< jiart in
the battles (d' Ft. Donaldson, Savanah, IMUsbur-h. t',.rinth,
etc. January 1, 1S(,4, he re-enlisted in (."ompany K, id' I'.rack-
etts Battalion, and took part in the Indian campai-iis of
lS(.4-5, under t'.en. Sully. January '», IST.v he married Miss
Jane Kobberts. In 1S')2 they retired from their farm in Jud-
son to Mankato. They are very highly esteemed b\- a lari;e
acquaintance.
LEWIS, LICWIS I). Lorn near Drefas. Cardi-'anshire,
Wales, in 1S1'». lOmi -rated to the I'niled Stales in 1S.>7 ami
settled in I'orla-e county, Ohio, where he m.irried Miss Jane,
dau,!4Jiterof l»avid and Mary Davi;., who also were natives of
Cardii^-anshire. After about a vear's Nia\- in l'orta,i;e countv
he removed to I'ittsbur-h, I'.i. There he was made an elder
of the C. M. church, of which he was an el'hcient member.
There, also, in 1S54 he lost his wife. In tlu- -.prini;- of 1S3.=.
he left Pittsburgh for Lat'msNe, Wis., where he si.eilt two
years and tlien, in the sprini;- of ISST, came to Line ICarlh
county, Minn., locatiiiL;' on a ciaiin in the present (own of
240 THE Wlil.SII IN MINNKSOTA.
both, (hiuu'-htcr of Kirliard Mdr-'aii, then ..f that town. Dur-
in^-- the Si,.ux massacre vi ]S(.2, he wa> sh(jt thnni-ii the han.l
by the Iinlians (.n the morning'- ot Se]itember 10, and the use
of that member totally destroyed, ( see acctmnt of Sioux war in
this volume), llein','- thus disableil from ]ierl'orinin!,'- manual
labor he removed from his farm to South Hend in the fall of
1S(.2 and soon thereafter located at LeIIuellier, midway be-
tween South Itend and .Mankato i^'roin ISi,.^ to 1S(.7 he car-
ried the mails between Manlcato and New I'lm, and in those
pre-railwav davs Mr. fvcwis and his siairc were a familiar
si<,rht as they passed daily back and forth throUi,'-h the Widsli
settlements. In the summer of ls7i. he moved to 'IVacy,
Minn., where he died in June. issz. He alwavs to(d< an
active jiart in all political and reli.!.;ious affairs and fre<|Uentlv
held some office in the towti ami chur.h. lie ha.l a i,'-eni.Ll
disposition, and xsas kind .md e\er readv to do anv one a favor.
T.raVIS, LIOWIS, .)i;. -Son ..f Lewis D. an.r.Iane Lewis,
was born at I'itlsbur^', i'a., in ls4s. Came with his
father to LaC'rosse, Wis., and thence to fJlue ICarth countv,
Minn., where in Au-iisl. ]S(,2. he enlisted in Comp<inv IC,
Ninth Minnesota, .ind served with his company until taken
prisoner at the b.ittle of Cuntown, Miss. He died at .\nder-
sonville i>rison M,irch 2(i, ISd.s. He w.is a brave and f.utliful
soldier anil, liki' his father, was of a i;enial and friendlv
disposition and much esteemed \<\ all hi-> aci|Uaintance.
LEWIS, LEWIS J, i;,,rn at Ll.mwnn, .Montgomeryshire,
Wales, alxmt is.,,,. When six ye.irs ol,| he lost his father and
as soon as strong enoui;li hired out to i.trmers and supported
himself and his widowed mother, whom he devotedlv loved
until her death. At the a-e (d I'l he emi-rated to America
and locate.l at K'emseii, N. V., where he learned the carpen-
ter's tratle with Wm. .M. Williams. l.He of C.iml.ria, ^Hnn.
About 1S(,1 he moved to rtic.i, X. Y., where he was employed
in the New York Central r.iilw.iv c.ir sh.,ps and .ittended an
evening- school, where he learned drauirhtin:,'-. In \Si,F> he
moved to Oshkosh, Wis., and built him .io(.,.)d residence.
which he sold within. 1 ye.ir ,it ,l lar-e |.r..lit and in lS(,.=,came
to Mank.ito, where he bec.ime extensi\eiy en-a-ed as a con-
tractor and Iniilder. His List contr.ict was the buildiiii,-- (d'
the .NLmkato State Normal Scho.d, which he had about com-
pleted when on the evenin-' of July .'o, lS7n, he was accidently
burned to death, while cariu'^- for his li..rses in his b.irn .md
shop on l'"r.int street. .Mankato. He w.i. ,i verv ca o.ible, eiier-
THE WKLSII IN MINNESOTA. 241
g-etic business iium, ;in<l of :i i;enial ami irencrous spirit. He
was a member i)t" Uie T'tica C(>ni:rei,'-ati.>nul ehurch. He left
SU^vivinJ,^ his wile whom he liad uiarrieil in Keinseri, > now
Mrs. Catherine Williams, of .Mankato. i and one child, J(jhn
Lewis.
LEWIS, 31 K. AM) .>li:S. :M(>Iv1;IS.— Mr. Lewis was born
in March, ISO'i, at l'\'lin Khiwsaeson. Llanbrvnmair, Mont-
gomcrvshire, Wales. Son of Moriran and Catherine I^ewis.
In 1835 he married Miss Mary, daui^hter AVilliani Richard
Jones, an innkeeper u[ Khymney. .Mr->. Lewis had been born
June 7, ISK,, at Abenlare, Montu-omervshire. Mr. Lewis
emi-,'-rated to America December 24. IS.Vi, ami sent for his
family in 1S41. Thev located lirst at Pittsburirh. I'a., and
moved thence to Krady's llenil. Pa. In May, 1S.^.=;. Mr, Lewis
came to Minnesota and located on the farm still owned by the
family in the town of Cambria. Ilavin-- built a loi;' cabin
the family joined him in the sprinu' of lS5f>. Mr. and Mrs.
Lewis were honest, industrious, thrifty people, kind and i^nveii
to hospitality, a!id faitiiful members t,i the IJa])tist church, of
which Mr. Lewis was a deacon. Mr. Lewis died September
15, 1SS2. Mrs. Lewis is still livini,'- and is as brii^dit and
cheerful as ever. Thev ha.l twelve children, only two of
whom are now livinir: Wni. K. T^ewis, of Lake Crystal, Minn.,
and Mrs. J(din C. Jones, of Cambria. Minn.
LEWIS, HON. KK'II.VllI)— Lorn at Llany:ysi«j:, Mont.ijrom-
eryshire, Wales, in IS.^.v In 1S47 ho emigrated with his pa-
rents, Kichard and Trvphena Lewis, to Jefferson county, Wis.,
where he engaijeil in farmin;;-. In 1S54 he married Miss Mar-
garet Lloyd, lie moved to Judson. Minn., in 1S(,2, where he
still resides in a comb)rtable liome. He has always taken an
active part in public matters and held many local offices. In
18S0 he was elected to the State Le-islaturc. He has had
seven children, three of whom are now living: William 1*.,
John and ICdwanl.
LEWIS, I'ASTOK TIIOS. II EMI V. Lorn August 30,
1S()(), in Turin, Lewis countv. N. Y. When he was four years
old his father, Robert Lewis, a merchant by occuj)ation, died
and his mother, Margaret, moved to Rome, X. Y. to live with
her parents taking him and his only -ister Bertha (now wife
of John G. Roberts, of Lime Springs, la.) with her. After
four years the mother married ag.ain — her second husband be-
ing Henry Cr. Jones, now of Wales. Soon after this young
Lewis and his sister cime to Tvinie Sprin,u^■^, la. .with their uncle
242 THE WlCr.SII IN MINNKSOTA. ; !
and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. K. J. Kohcrts. Marcli .=., 1S71, the ;
motlicr <licd and the ahovc named unck' and aunt, who had
adopted his sister Inur years helnre, \U'W opened their ddor U> \
her orphan hrother and uave h.itli the best ni h.mies. The \
education wliich the mother jairposed to .^ixe her hov, his |
uncle and aunt provided lor him. At nineteen he was sent to
the Minnesota State Cniversity. Hefore compk'tin;^- hisuni- i|
vcrsity course, however, he entered theemidoyof the MiUer's ' !
Association ni Minneapolis, as stenoLrrajiher. In three years j
his salary was raised to .-^lun per month and when this eom- j
pany discontinued he was enqiloyed at the same sal.iry hv the ;
St. Anthony and Dakot.i iOlevator Co. until July 1, ISm:. At
this time he received what he deemed a ilivine call to hecome !
pastor of the Dav.-son. Minn., t'onnre-ational church. He has ' ;
lujen exceptionallv succes-.lul in his work and the church has ',
more than douhled its mendiership. lie is a tine L;'ospel ■
preacher and is L;Teatlv heloved liy his ]ieo]ile. In 1SS4 he
married Miss Alice I'. Leonanl. ol Mmneap.ilis. They have
four children, two hovs and two -iris.
LEWIS, WILLI A.M r.-Korn at lllaen 1 )yfryn. near Sparta,
Wis., Octoher 25, 1S5(.. Son oi Hon. Kichard Lewis, who ^
came to Judson, Minn., in lS(i2. He recei\ed a <^niH\ common
school education. Married at Sp.arta, AVis.. February l.s,
ISSS, Miss Susan, daunhter ol' the late J.din and Mar^raret |
Lloyd of near Llan-'eilho, t^irdi-anshire. Wales, where she [■
was born. DuriuLr ISSS they resided at Minneapolis, where i
Mr. Lewis was employed in the railway car shojis. March 1, j
ISS'), he was elected overseer of the Hlue Earth county Poor j
Farm, which position he still holds. Mr. Lewis and his excel- \
lent wife have made the most ellicient managers of the I'oor !
Farm I]lue Farth county e\er had. They have, not only, •;
looked after the interests of the county and cared for the phy- f
sical wants (d' the poor, but tliev have considered the jioor to |
lie human beings with needy minds and si>uls to be, also, '
ministered to. DuriuL;' their administration a table with \
ifood readini;- nuitter furnished by the Mankato churches has l
been provided. The first reli^-ious service at the Poor Farm |
and perhaps in that neii^hborliood was held by Kev. John C. 5
Jones in June, 1SS'>, ;it re(|Uest ol Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. '
Preachiu!^- services lia\e been conducted there since e\erv \ear i
by Kevs.'w. A. Warren, K. I ). Price. Lee Keatty, .M. Wash- |
burn, Thos. K. Jones and others. In the fall of IS'to a Sab- *
bath schocd was st.irted. with Mr. and Mr-. Lewis as teachers, i
TEE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 243
and much interest luis been, and still is, taken in TJible stiidv.
Mr. and Mrs. I^ewis are worthy members of the Mankato
Welsh chureh.
LEWIS, W3I. |{.— Born at Khymney. Monmouthshire, Wales,
July 11, IS.v^'. His parents were Morris and Mary f^ewis,
above mentioned. Emigrated with his parents to Pittsbur;,'-,
Pa., in 1S41, and thence in the spring of 1S3() to Cambria,
Minn. Married Miss Sarah, daui^hter of .Fohn E. and Dinah
Davis, of the same place, July 2't. ix>>2. Enlisted in lS()o in
Company E, Second Minnesota Cavalry and served under (leti.
Sibley until close of war. lie has always taken an active in-
terest in the political affairs of the ilay, and has fre(|uentlv
held office in his town. In IS'M he retired from his farm to
the vina-,^' of Lake Crystal. He is a faithful member of the
Baptist church and ,)f the C. A. R. pnsi ,,f that place, and is
much esteemed by all his ac(|uaintaiKes.
LKWIS, A\'3I. T.-4]orn at Llidard.m, near Bala, Wales, in
1821. Son of Thomas and Elizabeth Lewis. In 1S42 he emi-
grated with his jiarents to Lewis ctiunty, N. Y., where the
family resided many years. In lS3nhe married Miss IClix.a-
beth, daughter of John and Elinor Watkins. of Deerlield, N.
Y., where her father was a very prominent elder of the C. M.
church. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis continued t«j reside in Lewis
county until 18(.(. when they moved to Foreston, la., and lo-
cated on a farm where they prospereil -reatly. On the ISth
of May, IS'C,, lujwever, he was fatally injured by being- thrown
under his wag-on in a runaway and died on the 2(>th of the
same month. Mr. Lewis was brought up religiously from his
youth and was well versed in his bitde. He was always faith-
ful and active in all the services <d the church and was
leader in tlie organization and maintenance of the Koreston
Welsh church. In March, ls7o, he was chosen an elder and
performed the duties of the oflice with exceptional fidelity.
He rendered great s-rvice to the church, also, as leader of
song. He left surviving his estimable wife and four children:
Thos. Lewis, of Miner, S. I)., John, Ella and Welling^ton, of
Foreston, la.
I.LOVJ), DAVID-Knrn at Llanartli, Cardiganshire, Wales,
June 4, ISII. He received a fair education in the schools of
that day in Wales. For some time lie attended a seminarv
conducted at Neuad.l f.wvd, Canligan^hire, bv Rev. Thomas
Phillips, D. 1). When a young man he wJnt to Dnwiais,
where he resided for a few vears. In 1^41 he w.in tiuirried to
244 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
Miss Marg-arct Lewis, who was born at Llanon, Cardi^ran-
shire, Juno 4, 1S14. In the spring- of lS4o they emigrated to
the United States and located for some years at Pittsburg:.
In the spring- of 1854 they moved to Old Man's Creek, la., and
thence in the fall of the same year they went to Ironton. ().
In May, 1S5(), they came with the Jackson colony to Minne-
sota and located on their present farm in Sharon, I^e Sueur
county. On the 2(>th of April, IS'M Mrs. Lloyd died. Mr.
Lloyd still resides with his son, IIou. Job Lloyd, on the old
homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd, by honest industry and
thrift, acquiretl a i;oodly competance of this world's goods
and were not unmindful of the better riches of heaven. The
community and the church testify to their faithfulness. Their
children are: John Lloyd, of Tracy, Catherine, wife of John
P. Davis, of the same place, Susanna, wife of David Y. Davis,
of Mankato, Evan Lloyd, of Ottawa, David Rees Lloyd, of
Sharon, and Hon Job Lloyd, of the same place.
LiLOYJ), EVAN— Lorn at Old Man's Creek, la., August 2b,
1853, and is a son of David and Margaret Llovd, above men-
tioned. Came to Minnesota with his parents in May, IS.^d,
locating in Shartm. I^e Sueur county. Married Jane IC,
daughter of David Morgan, Es(i., of the same place, Miiy M,
1883. lie has been a merchant and postmaster at Ottawa,
Minn., since the fall of 1SS7 and has been <iuite successful.
LLOYD, JAIJEZ.— Corn at Cromlech, Llangristiolus, Angle-
sea, Wales, February, 1S14. In 1S43 he married Miss Marga-
ret Jones, Bwlcyn, Ceirchiog, Anglesea. He resided for some
time at Liverp(jol and in 1845 emigrated to Cambria, Wis.
In 1866 he moved to Blue Earth countv, Minn, and located on
the farm still owned by the family in IJutternut Valley. In
1884 he retired to the city of Mankato where he built him a
pleasant home, but on Christmas, 1SS5, he passed from this
earthly abode to his rest and rewaril in the mansions above.
Mr. Lloyd was made an elder of the C. M. church before leav-
ing- Wales and continued active and faithful in the office until
the end. The churches of Scion and Cambria, Wis., and Je-
rusalem, Minn., are much indebted to his cfticient and untir-
ing efforts. He was scrupulously honest in lielief and conduct
and his life always exemplified fully his high Christian pro-
fession. -He left surviving his wife and six children: John,
Peter, Gabriel, Ann, Jane ^nd Margaret. The latter died
October 19, 1889.
Jabez Lloyd.
LATE OF MAXKATIJ, S
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LATE OF SOUTH BESI),
Robert E. Hughes.
LATE OF JUllSON, MINN.
THR WKLSII IN MINNKSOTA. 245
LLOYD, HON. .For..— R..rii at Sharon, LeSueur county,
Minn., Scptoniber 2'>, 1S5(), bcini,'- tlio llrst white chihl horn in
that township. Son of David and Marg-arct I/loyd. lie made
g-ood use of the country school education he received, lie
married in May, IS');., Miss M.iry. (hiu-hter of Mr. Wni. E.
Jones, of LeSueur, Minn. lie has been very active in politics
and his wonderful popuhirity is shown by the fact that in 1S')0
he was elected to the let;-islature on the Kepublican ticket bj-
a good inajoritv from the stronyly Democratic district of Le-
Sueur; antl, in 1S')4, he was a^'ain elected to the state senate
from the same district l)y a lartre majority over one of the
most popular Democrats in the county. Llojd has made a
success not only of politics but of farming-. He is also an
active worker in Saron church. His energy and push tri-
umphs over every (liflicultv.
LLOVl),.IOIIN."-norn at Dowlais, Montgomeryshire, Wales,
December .^, 1S42. Son of David and Margaret Lloyd. He
came with his parents to Pittsburg in 1S4.., thence to Iron-
ton, Ohio, in 1854, and to Sharon, LeSueur county, Minn.,
in May, 1S5ri. In August, IS(,2, he enlisted in Company IC,
Ninth Minnesota and served faithfully in all the campaigns
with his Keg-iment until the end of the war. March S, 1870,
he married Miss Mary, daughter of David J. Davis, of Cam-
bria, Minn., and resided for some years on his farm in Cotton-
wood, I'.rown countv. In May, 1SS1, he moved to Tracy,
Mtnn, and engaged in the farm machinery l>usiness. Takes
an interest in public affairs and is ahvaj's active and encr-
g-etic. Has been member of the Trac}' City Council for two
years and is now deputy game warden. His children arc:
David E., Hannah M.. Charles S. and Margaret IC.
LLOVI), I'ICTIOK. — Lorn in Kamlolph township near Cam-
bria, Wis., July 17, 1850. Son of Jabcy, and .Margaret Lloyd.
Removed with parents to Blue Earth county, Minn., Octobi-r,
ISfjf), and lived with them on farm in IJutternut Valley. Re-
ceived a good common school education antl attended the
State Normal at Mankato for a time. He also taught school
five terms. December 21, ISSl, married Ann, ilaughter of
Hon. Rich. Wigley of Ju.lson, a
appointed deputy treasurer of
Jones. Summer of 1SS4 he b.
linn of Moore Piper iV Co. ai
store at Lake Crystal, then in .
tion with White Lead ."v Oil C.
irried
Ann,
, laughter
Marc
h 1 St f
.llowin-w
L.arth
count
• under \V
bo,d<
keepe,
of the (Ir
en tc"
ry. IS
k a c
erksbii. i
epled a p.
246 THE WKI.SH IN MINNKSOTA.
of same year etUtTcd the store of C. E. Davis at Lake Cn-stal,
where he continued mie year, and was elected Treasurer of
Blue Earth county, which dflice he still holds, havini;- lieen
elected four successi\e terms l>v \nv: majorities. He and his
wife are faithful and efficient members of the Mankat<i C. M.
church, and are lu)si>itai)le, popular and hitifhly respected by
all. Their children are: Annie, Kichard, JJessie, Alaryaret,
Jabez Alvin and Marv.
MKIIKDITIl, (ilJIFI'MTII— Horn at Cae (Mas, Maentwro-,
Merionethshire, Wales, in 17'»S. His parents were Meredith
and Jane Jones. He lost his father when two months old,
and he and six others, the oldest not over ten years, fell to
the care of their widowed iiiotlu'r. He was :i shoemaker by
trade and followed that occupation until hitulered b\- (dd U'j;c.
While working- with an uncle at Llanfachreth. Merionetli-
shire he was converted in a revi\al. There also he married
Margraret, dau^iiter ol Robert Davis ; /J:y/r// v (,;■/,!), who was
his fellow convert, 'inhere were born to them a number of
children of whom live are alive. Emigrated to New York and
located at French ]\'oad, ( )neida countw where he was chosen
elder of the C. M. church. from there he came to Judson.
Minn in 1.S7.". He died October S, ISSl, and is hurried at .le-
rusalem cetneterv. Was verv faithful to all his duties as an
elder of the C. M. church and as a man.
MOKKIS, HON. 1<:VA\ K.— i;,,rn near Ffestiniog-, Meritm-
ethshire, Wales. He is a brother of Rev. O. R. Morris, of
Bristol firove, Minn., and emi<,>-rated in 1S4>» with the family
to Blue Mounds, Wis., when a yount,'- man. He has lived for
twenty' j-cars at Bristol Grove, en<;ayed in farminir. In 1S'»2,
on account of ill health, he rented his farm and en<:faj;ed in
the mercantile business at Lime Springs, la. For several
terms he held the office of assessor of his town, and was for
twelve j-ears justice of the peace. He also represented Fill-
more county for one term in the Le<j-is]ature with honor to
himself and satisfaction to his constituents. He is one of the
many Welshtnen who have attaineil honor and distinction l)y
strict honestyand ]>erseverance.
j>l<)KKIS. ill<ill H, — Born at Dinnrwiyf, Carnarvonshire.
Wales, in IK". His parents were related to the emimmt min-
ister Kev. Morris HuLjites (/-;■/////■(■// 1. When he was seveil
years old the familv emiLTrated to this country and were
amonijf the earlv settlers of Droscaimn. Wis., and HuL,'-h Mor-
ris, the father, was well known as a stroni; jiillar of the relij,'--
THK WKI.SII IN MINXESOTA. 247
ious cause there. In the year 1S(,(, II. II. Morris and his friend
K. W. nu-^rhes moved to Dristol Crove. Minn., where he lived
for 27 years. In 1S(,7 lie was married to Mary, daui;-hter o!
Mr. and Mrs. Kiehanl Jones i T CmV//), ^^■hu were anion,;,'-
the first Welsh settlers ,,1' Killuiore county, Minn. They had
six children, lie is hii,'-lily respected l>y all who know him as
a true f,'-entleiiian and sincere christian. He is a yreat reader
and a .•■■ooil j.atron >'i Welsh literature. He takes LCre.at inter-
est in the Ililde and missionary s.)cieties. He is also an acti\e
and leadilli;- nieiiiher ol the teniiicrance societies, whose prin-
ciples he has rrei|Uently advocated with ;;Teat force in puldic.
A year af^" I'c sold his farm in l-'illmore county to his son-in-
law and l)ouu-lit another farm in the vicinity of Lime Sjirinys,
where he li\rs at pr,-sent amoiit;- his man\ friends.
31()IJ(JAN, lli:\. rIOIIN \V.-i;ornatMertliyrTydlil, Clan-
mort^-an shire, Wales. Came with his jiareiits to Americ.i and.
located at Danville. I'a., where he was hr.iu-ht up .and edu-
cated. He l>e--;in the work of the ministry at the C. .M. cliurch
of Alliance, ()., .m.l was onlaine.l hy the synod of Cahinistic
Methodist churches ,d' Ohio in iss,i. I,, iss: he moved to
Foreston, la., where he ministered to the Welsh church until
the middle of ISs5. He then mov^d t., Powell. L)ak..ta, where
he had pastoral chari^re of the church there and of the Welsh
C. M. church at IJatli, Dakota, for three years. Tie next be-
came pastor of the C. M. church ;it Su--ar Notch, I'a., for two
years. He then returned to D.ikota and joined the I'resi.yte-
rian body and became pastor (d' the KnL,''lish church at White-
wood, S. D. He is a <,rooil preacher ami a successful pastor.
MOIMMS, Sli., 0\VI':N— Horn at ren-y--rai--wen, An-le-
sea, Wales, March 2it, 1S2:. His parents were Morris and
Ann Owens. When (juite younu' he removed with his parents to
Ty'nlon, Llantiliani;--el-tre"r-lieirdd. in the same shire, where
he spent his youthful days. In l'\bruary, lS4,i, he was united
in marria.L;-e to Miss Catherine, only dauu-hter <d' Mr. Thomas
Ellis (Llciniiin), in the same neiyhborho.id. In fS5i, he
moved to Caerweil. where he was elected an eUler of the C. M.
church, which oflice he faithfully tilled in every church, of
which he became a member. 1-Voiii Caerweii he moved to
Llan.i,'-aed in fSi,.;, and emii^rated to America in 1S(,'», sellliiiL;-
on a farm in Cambria, .Minn. He returned to Wales in iss.s,
but came back to .Vmeric.a au^ain in ISSS and located in Si.
Paul. While visitin-;i;hie l^artli County, he .lied at the resi-
dence of Mr. David Thom.is, in Lake Cryst.il, (.)ctober 2il,
248 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
1889. Ilis remains were interred in Cambria cemetery, the
Kev. T. E. Hug-hes ..fliciatin--. He was a -.m„1 man, careful
in all thini,'-s, and C.odly. He had live children, two sons
died in Wales, and his only daughter, a youni^- lady of more
than averag-e ability — iNliss Mar}- Morris — died at Cambria,
Minn. The two rcmainingf sons and Mrs. Morris reside in
this state, viz.: Thos. Morris, in Minneapolis, and Hon. O.
Morris, in St. Paul.
MOiilMS, ,Ml., IJ<)N.()\VI':N.— IJorn at Ang-lesea, Wales, in
1858. Son of Owen and Catherine Morris. Came with his par-
ents to Cambria, Minn., in summer of 1S(>"». (Graduated A. li.
from Carleton College. Minn., in the class of ISSl. Carried
off the first honors in the state oratorical contest of that year
and won the second ]iri/e in the inter-state oratorical contest
held that year at Indianapolis. In November, 1SS2, he was
elected to the State Le.gislature from Illue ICarth county. At
the close of his Leg-islative term he entered the law office of
Hon. Gordon IC. Colo, one of the .ablest lawyers of the state.
and was in due time admitteil to practice, when he formed a
law partnershi]! with Mr. Cole and Mr. IJramhall as Cole.
Bramhill & Morris, at St. P.iul. 'Phis partnership continual
until Mr. Cole's death in IS'mi. S.ion thereafter Mr. Morris
formed a partnership at the same jilace with W. H. Williams
which continued until December. 1S'»2, since which time Mr.
Morris has been in business alone. He is a very brig-ht and
able Iaw3'er and has worked n\) a large practice. He is, also,
a fine Welsh scholar and is fond of jioetrv and music.
3I()K1IIS, KEV. OWHN IJ.— Korn at" Tynddol Blaenau,
Festiniog', Merionethshire. His ])arents were relig'ious people
who broug-ht u\> all their children in the christian faith.
When old enoug-h he was employed in the quarrii's until nearly
twenty 3'earsold, when, in 1S4'I, he emig-rated to IJlue Mounds,
Wis., where he was one of the pioneers. In IS.^l he married
and in IS58 began to preach at the request of some of the
small Welsh churches of the neighborhood. Though oblig-ed
to contend with the difliculties of raising- a family amid the
poverty and hardships of a new country, he developed such
ability as a preacher that at the Synod of the C. M. clnirclies
held in June, l.S(,(., at Dodg-eville, Wis., he was ordained to
the work of the ministry. In 1S(,,S he moved to I'-ristol (irove,
Minn., where he located on his jiresent valuable farm. He
was soon received as a member of the C. M. Synod of .Minne-
sota and for 2*> vears has ])reached among the churches of
THK WELSH IN MIXXESOTA. 249
his district. Iti ]SS2 he visited his native land and was very
g-ladly received by his many friends and si)ent a very ])rolit-
ahle year preachin- am.. n--" the C. M. churches of Wales and
En.^-land. On liis return in 1SS,^ he wrote an exlemled ac-
count of his travels to the JJiyr/i. Throui^di industry, fru-
g-ality and l^-.i.).! inanaLTcment he has aciuire.l considerable
property. His ruLri,''eil j.hvsical and mental stren^-th still con-
tinue unabate.l an.l \ears.)f usefulness still await him. He
is a man of i,Teat determination ..i character and his temi).i-
ral and spiritual welfare have alike been pros])ered.
aiOIJKIS, IM;()I'\ .lOllX.— Is a s..n of Kev. Owen K. M.ir-
Tis, of IJristol Cr.ne, Minn., was li,,rn at IJlue .M..un.ls, Wis.,
and passed his Ix.yliood days ..n his father's farm. l\'em.ived
with the famil V in ISi.S to J'^illmore count\-, Minn. IKre, in
addition to farm labor he en!,.-aLred in carp.;ntrv ami machine
work and attended school duriiii;- the winter months until he
was IS rears of as^-e. lie then taught \\\\: winters in .Minne-
sota and Iowa. Later he entered the I'niversity of .Minne-
sota anil ijrailuated with hon.irs in th.,' class of 1SSS, with the
degree of Bachel.ir ..f .Mechanical JCnijfineerin^-, havini;- re-
ceived the hig-hest mark-in^-s ever driven in that ilejiartment.
After coin]detin!jr his i-..urse he was a]>])ointe(l Suiierinten.lent
of Manual 'I'r.ainini;- in the lliu-h Scho.ils of .Minneapolis.
At present he superintends the \v..rks of the I'lano Manufac-
turing- Company at West Pullman. 111. Prof. Morris is a man
of talent and learnini;-, and ab.ive all an useful member and
office bearer in the church.
OAVENS, .lOlIN .1.— i;.,rn February 7. 1S.=;7. in Cambria, and
lived in that city with his parents until ]S7't, when he came
to Minneapolis, Minn. lie was cmnected with the Minne-
apolis Harvester Works f..r ei^ht years, and since that time
has been eng-aij-etl in business with his father J. L. ( )wens, and
brother K. J. Owens, in th.; manufacture of grain separators
and g-eneral farm machinery, startiuLT in with a limited capi-
tal and working- the business up t.. ..ne of the largest estal)-
lishments of the kind in th.- I'nite.l States.
<)\VI':NS. JOHN L.— Son ,,1 Owen and Jane Owens, b..rn at
Pen Aninan, 1 1..1 v.l.lelen, tlarnarv.mshire, Wales, .\ugust 10,
fS32. His m..ther was a sister ..f the eminent divines, David
.lones, .bdm Jones i 7'„/Y<,tn, ^, ami William J..nes, W.dsli
JVairie, Wis., and the family can be traced back lhr..ugh
//<■(/,/ .l/,./::'r;/-'-. 'rj,,. I,> l.l.':.-l,„J.-Jd l-\,,-rli,n:--^ in the tmth
century. In lS4t. he came with his imrents to Welsh Prairie,
250 THR WKr.SII IN MINXKSOTA
Wis., ami in 1S5(. injirrird Miss Winnie Kobcrts, oi' Kacine.
Sdon afU-r he started in Imsiness at (.'aniliria. Wis., where he
resided for years. While there he invented the sell" rake
reai)ers in ISTii. and ;i harvester in IsTl known afterwards as
the I'^sterlev Harvester. t<> wliieh w.is i;-iven the medal ;it the
Centennial I'^xpnsition in ls7(.. In .luly. 1S7S, Mr. Owens
went to Minneapolis as inventor for the Minneapolis Har-
vester Company and soon was uiven, in addition, the su]ierin-
tendency of all the w Iw.irk. liavin-- hundreds ol men under
his supervisiim. lie remained with the .dmi)any for seven
years and, after se\erin^- his emimetion, invented the < )wi-ns
Fanninj,-- Mill, whieh received the first award at the Colunihian
E.\positi(m in is'i,;, and wiiich marks a new dep.arture in
separatini,'- and Jeaninu' all kinds of i^-rain. lie is the i>resi-
dent of the J. L. ( )wen> C'omp.mv whieh has manufaetured
and placed on the market over s.imki of these mills in a sinL,He
year. He has several other valualde patterns and at present
has nearly eomj.leted a machine to eut and thrash the L^'rain
simultaneously, which he expects to place nn the market in
the near future, .\mon-- the Welsh jieople of Minnea]>olis he
is one of the oldest settlers and has i.een .lirectlv or indirectly
instrumental in hrinuim;- many to the city. He w;is elected
deacon in the Welsh church at Cambria, Wis., and has serveil
in that cajiacitv in the Minneapolis church since its ori,'-aniz;i-
tion, and has been the president of the board of trustees
from the bei^'-inniuL;-.
OWENS, JOHN I'llIUr IJorn January b, ISIS. S<m of
William Owens, who came to .\merica fnim North Wah's and
served in the war (d" 1S12. When seven years (dd his father
died and he was liroU!;-ht up by a stepf.ather on a farm. He
received an academic education at t'incinnati, ( ). Uei^an to
learn the printiui;- trade when 17; was a]iprenticed for bair
years and graduated on his twenty-lirst birthday. Havim,'-
inherited some money from his father, he invested it in a
newspaper enteri>rise at C'incinnaii .md lost it all. For sev-
eral years was en^-aL;-ed as a reporter and assistant editor on
various papers in Cincinnati, Louisville. VicksburLT and New
Orleans. In 1S4') he formed a i.artnershi]. with Nat. McLean,
of Cincinnati, to establish a paper at St. I'.iul. He arrived
in St. Paul on May 27, lS4't. The- lirst number ..f the .Minne-
sota Keij-isler was printed at Cincinnati and broULTht to St.
I'aul for distril)Ution in .hilv. In October the jiajier was
united with the Minnesota Chronicle and so published until
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FIRST EDIT
J. T. Williams.
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E. B. Williams.
LANMINO, MINN.
WELSHMEN WHO HAVE BEEN PROMINENT IN POLITIC.VL AFFAIRS.
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Hon. VV. W. Williams.
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John Q. Roberts
PROMINENT MI'N OF LIME SPRINGS, WELSH SETTLEMENT.
TliE WELSH IX MINNESOTA. 251
July, 1850, when it was discoii tinned. In 1851 Mr. Owens
and G. W. M.iore started the Weeklv .\Iinnes,.tian. addin-- in
1854 a daily and tri-weekly edition. The .Minnesotian was
ably edited and Kepiddiean in pulitics, hut nwini,'- to imor
health Owens was ohliired to sell his interest. In 18(,2 he
was appointed Quartermaster of the Nintli Minnesota "\'olun-
teers, and served as Ke^-iinental and IJriii'ade Ouartermaster
until close of tlie war. In A]iril, ls«,S. he was ;ippointed KeLT-
ister of the U. S. Land oltiee, whi.h ofliee he held until his
death, September 11, 1SS4. He was the first Crand Master of
the I. O. O. F. in Minnesota. He left in manuscript form:
"The Political Ilistorv .d' the State <d' Mijinesota." a work of
considerable merit, but wliicli has failed yet oi a jnib-
lisher. Ilis first wife was Helen McAllister, whom he mar-
ried in Ohio in 1S4S. She left an only d.iui^diter named Mary
Helen. His sec.md wife was Frances M. llobbs, whom
he married October 2(., 1S55, in New York City. Mr. Owens
wasquick of percejilion, a clear thinker and a brilliant writer.
As a man he was kind-hearteil, genial and social.
OAVENS, JOHN K.— llorn near the city .d' Carnarvon in Car-
narvonshire, Wales, Julv .^^1. 1^<4.^.. When he was a year old
his parents cmi^-rated to America, srttlinL,^ for one year near
Remsen, N. Y., then at I'olumlius. Wis., where Mr. Owens
resided until the siirins,'- of lsi,t,. when he left the parental
home and came to .Mankato, Minn. He worked there for
about a year, then settled on a farm in liutternut Valley,
where he is now eUL^'-ai^ed in succe-.sful farming-. January,
1868, he married .Miss (iwen ICvans, and they have l)een
blessed with eiyht children, six sons an<l two dau^-hters. Mr.
Evans has held a number of town and school district offices.
He was brou,L,'-ht up by ( ioil-fearim,'- parents, his father, the
late Owen Owens, beini,'- a deacon in the church, and the son
was chosen in 1S'»5 to serve in the same ofliee in IJethel
church. ]Mr. Owens is one of the many who have foui,'-ht
life's battles under disadvantai^es, but liy honest industry and
pluck have won the \ ictory.
OWKNS, K<)r.l':rjT .».— i;,.rn February r,, 1S(,(), in Cambria,
Wis., and lived in that city until ls7'i. when he came to Min-
ncajiolis. He was connected with the Minnea]iolis Harvester
works for ciLrlit years, since which time he has been enL;-ai,''ed
in the manufacture cd L.'^rain sepiTators and farm m;ichiiury
with his father, J. L. Owens, and brother, J. J. Owens.
2S2 THE AVKLSH IN lIINNr.SOTA. j
OWKNS, TIlOS.^-SuiHTinU'n.lciit of the Duluth and Iron
Rang-o railway. ]\nrn at Oshlcnsli. \Vi-...in IS?*,. Son u{
Evan and Sarah i Murris i ( )\\-cns. wini cniiLrratcd iti 1S4'» from
Monttfomcryshirc, WaKs. Id mar ( )slili(,^h. Wis. IIo is unc
of eleven children ( scv.-n h..vs and fcur -iris • all ,d' whom are '
livingf, tlic _vouni;-est lioinn' o\cr ."n years (dd. His brother,
Samuel 11. Owens, is ]ioslmasti.r at I'ower. Miim.. and another j
brother, John Owens, is Clerk of ihe District Court (d' St. '
Louis county. Minn, 'riiomas received a L;iiod common sclnxd
education, lie l)e,Lran his railway career with the C. \- N. W. I
Ry. at Escanaha, .Mich. In iss^'he married Miss Sarah Kllen |
Roberts, who came to the I'nited States in ls7o with her aunt
from Denl)ii,'-hshire. They have two uirK. au'ed 4 and i< years '
respectively. Wiiij^ust 11, iss.;, Mr. ( iweiis entered the ser-
vice of the Duluth .V- Iron K,am;-e railroad a-> h.coniotive en<;-i- j
neer. July .^(l, lss4, he i>ulled IVom Tower to Tw., Ilarhors. j
the first iron ore mo\ed tor slii]iinent in Minmsota. In Jan- ';
uary, 1SS5, he was apjiointed Superiniendent of Ore Docks at |
Two Ilarhors. In iss'i he was ajipointed contractini;- ai;ent '
for the same companv, and in 1S'(2 he \\:i-> n]ai.le Su])erinten-
dent of the road with head(|Uarters at Tw.. Ilarhors. lie has \,
splendid business (|ual i tications .and his honesty, push and
popular ways bespeak- him still i^Teater success.
I'AUKV, ICNWN-- I'.orn at TreLTarth, LlandeLTai, Carnarvcm- ,
shire, Wales, in ls2S. In IS47 he came to the Tnited States, ',
and after spcndini,'- three months in Maine he located in !
Ouincy, Mass., and I'rom there, in IS.si,. he moved to Columbus,
S. C. lie married at Chica-o November 7. 1S(,1, :\Iiss Ann.
daug-hter of Evan Williams, of I'en Dinas, Carnarvonshire, |
and located at Cambria, Wis. In May, l^o7. he moved to
Mankato, Minn., where he died December 4. ISSS, leaving-
him surviving- his most est inKil)le wife and ii\e children: Ilenr}-
I. Parry, Mrs. Mary J. Noe, Miss Annie L. Parry, John o'.
and Ivan Parry. ]Mr. Parry was a stone cutter and contr:ictor
by trade, and by honest toil and thrift he had laid by a fair
competence for his later ye.irs. He was a member cd' the city
council of Mankato for lour vears and always took an active
interest in all public nnitters. He h;id great determination j
and honesty of character and was of a kind and social j
disposition.
PAKKV, III':M{V I.— Dorn Octolier 2'), lsi,2. near' Cambria,
Wis., son id' l^x-.-m a.nd Ann Parrv. I\'emo\ed with p.irents
to Mankato, Minn., in iSi.S. Received ^ood comnnm school
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Rev. Humphrey Jones.
PROMINENT MINISTERS OF SALEM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Henry Hughes.
Davtd T. Davis.
Mrs. Henry
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THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 253
education. Clcrkod in Manlcato liruL;- stores from the time he
was 15 years nld until 1SS2, when lie went lor one year to
Brainard, thenee to the Cliicay.. fulle'_re nf Pharmacy for two
years, gradualinLT in March, 1SS5. He next accepted the po-
sition of traveling" salesman, tirsi tor driii,'- house of Moore,
Piper & Co. and then for Noyes IJn.s. .V Cutler. St. Paul. In
the sprinic nf IS'io he opened a druu- store at Mankato which
he still conducts with success. October 11, IS't."^, at (Ireene,
N. Y., he married Miss .Minnie Sweetlaml, who luul been a
teacher in the State Normal school at Mankato. and, also, is
a line sini^'er. lie is an able. ]iopular drui;-i,'-ist.
•A1{1{V,J<HIX II. -Horn at Celn Mawr, An-lesea, Wales, in
18.^0. He emii^rated to America in the sprini,'- of 1S4'I, and
staid for a season in New York. Thence he went to Wauke-
sha, Wis., where he worked on a farm for two years; then re-
turned to New York, residiuir at Rome for tifteen years. He
next removed to i;ani,'-or. Wis., where he was enjra!j;-od in the
mercantile business for fifteen years. In the spring- of isyi
he removed to Minneai>olis. He was elected deacon of the
Welsh C. M. church at Dan-'or. and aijrain at Minneapolis-
In ISSS he w.-is elected alderman of the Seventh ward and
served four vears. AlthoUL;h now past life's meredian he is
still a worker in every L;ood cause, an earnest. thoUi;'litful and
conscientious man in the world and the church. Since Janu-
ary, l.S'»2, he has held the responsible jiosition of Bread In-
spector for the citv of Minneapolis.
•EKKJItlMO, n\:\. I'llUAl'. -Korn at Aberhcmddu. I'.re-
conshire, Wales, February 24, 1S24. When about IS years
old he came to America, after having- had rather an adven-
turous exiierience in the British army from which he deserted
because of ill treatment. He spent some time in Nova Scidia
but finally settled down in the coal mines of Pennsylvania,
in which he worked for a numijcr of years. During- this
period he exiierieiiced a religious conversion, which changed
the tenor of his life. He now began to prepare for the minis-
try. June 2, 1S44. he married .Mis-, Catherine .McOlay. In
1853 he began to preach for the Welsh I'ongregational church
at Ashland, Pa., where he ministered for fifteen years with
gfreat acceptance, insomuch that twenty years later he was
urg-ed to return and ser\e the church again. In May, ISoS,
he became pastor of the Salem Congregational church of
Cambria and id' the Hebron church in Nicollet county, mak-
ing- his home midway between the churches in Judsoii. In tin;
254 THE WELSH IN JIINNESOTA. |
spring- of 1S75 ho rcniovcd to Cutter. Lyon county, and took j
pastoral cliur^-f ol' llctlicl t'oni,Tci,'-utional church there until ij
his death, which occurred July (.. isss. While at Custer he, %
also, ministere<l every otlier week to his old char.L,''e in Cam- j
bria from the spriuL;- of ISMi to sprinu- of ISSt and atrain for .j
l)art of 1SS(, 7. ilis onlv daugditer. Kacliel, wife of John h
Glynn, tlied in IST't. Mr. IV-re^-rine was ]>()ssessed of a ^i
most refined christian spirit ami was ;^'reatl_v beloved as ji
preacher and jiastvir. |i
I'OWIOLI., i;i^\-. \VAI.-i:.irn atafarmcalle.lIIafod-v-Pwll, ij
Llanelli, Kreconshire, Wales, May 11, ls,;4. Received but '\
limited instruction in the ]irivate scho.d oi IJwilth, Urecon- \
shire. Jle^an preachiuLi' almut 1 S53 in IJethania Cong-re.g-a- i
tional church, Llanelli, and in tiu' fall of lS.^-» took past.iral ;'
char,<,'-e of the l,'onuTcL;:itional churclies of Xebo. Hebron and j
Aberdaroii in (,'arnar\ oiisliire, and in May, 1S(>2, he accepted !
a call to the Connre'^-ational churches of Khiw ( near Diu- I
bifrh), Naut^lyn and Llansanan. and thereat Khiw he was !
ordained in May. ISi,,^. He served the>e churches for four
years. He then went ti> Denbii^h and for a number of vears
only preached ticcasionall v. Married Miss Ann Williams at *
Denbigh, in 1S(,;>. In May, 1S72. emigrated to America and
became pastor (d' the Congregational church (d" Hulibard, ().
In 1872 he went to I'icatonica. Wis., to take charue of the
Congregational church there. Thence went to the Congrega-
tional church at Ironton, ().; thence went to minister for four :
years to the Congreg-ational churches of Centerville and Car- |
mel, Ohio, autl thence in July, issl, he moved to Cambria, !
Minn., where for another four years he had pastoral care of !
the Congregational churches of Salem. South Ilend and { :
Goshen. There his wife died in December. 1SS2. In ISSf) he 1 '
moved to Mankato where the family still reside. In October,
KS't2, he went to take tile oversight of the Congreg-ational |
church oi Heaver Creek, where he remained until IS'M. His '
children are: Wm. K. Powell, assistant telegraph oi>erator :, ,
at Mankato. M.Lrlha, Catherine, Maggie. Thomas and Willie. [
I'KICE, .1 A. Alios l).-(.iy. /A-:;7i. Lorn at Newark, ().,
January 31, IS.^o. Son of Uavid and Mary (Jones) Price,
who had emigrated to New.'irk in ls4'i. from I^lanon, Cardi-
ganshire, Wales, where the father hail been born in 1S27 and
the mother in 1S,^^. From Newark the familv went to Jeffer- !
son Furnace, near ( )ak- Hill, ( )hio. for a short time and thence
came with the Jackson colonv to Llue Earth countv, .Minn., in
THK WICLSH IN MINNESOTA. 255
M;iy, lS5('p, and the rollowiiiLT June Idcalcd in Cambria, wIktc
they still resi<k'. Janirs rccoivrd a ijood cdiniiiDn si-himl I'du-
cation, and oarly iiKiiiilVstcd an interest in Welsh literature.
especially pnetieal eoniiiosition. lie has been a tre(|tient eon-
tributor to Welsh periodicals and has won many i>ri/AS in
Welsh literary ontests. In the l-lisUddJod held at Mankato,
February is, IS'il, he was chaired a bard, with the bardic
name of .\p J)r:.i\ I'nd'. Aj). Madoc. of Chicago, officiating .
He also takes ail active part in all public affairs and is an
useful member of lloreb church and Sabbath school, and in
IS'.).^ was m.ide an elder of tlie church. He is also a -ood
sinyer and has lieeii prominent in many musical <_)rLi-ani/,ations.
March 21, 1S71, he married Mary. daUL^hter of Kichard and
Jane Roberts, lA Cambria. She died Xo\ember 14, 1S7,,, ami
■October 2.-;, 1S74, he was married t.i Miss Jane Roberts, a sis-
ter of his first wife. He has one son, David Cliarles Trice,
The followin;,'- lines are a fair sample of his poetical yenius:
Hyf holhir nef un.Vr fcllten.— hyll egyr
Holl eiKiou llurtafen,
Yn hwylfauT yn I'i licllen
Mawr y naid y'mro y nen.
Fflamiof^. ade-iniog wyllt dan — a geir
Yn gym twrl' allaii;
Rhydd natiir dan gur brudd gan,
Hyll ei stwr yw llais taran.
IMHCK, ,I()11X— S(niof Kichard antl IClizabeth Price of Llan-
elidan, Vale of Clwyd, Wales, where he was born in the ye.ir
1S47. When 21 years (d' a^'e he came to this country, makiuLT
his home for a short time in ChicaLfc,) ami then went as far
west as California. Soon he returned from there and settled
in Saratojjfa Prairie, seven miles south of Lime Sprini^-s. In
1S()7 he was married to Mary, dau-hter of Mr. and Mrs. O.
K. Roberts i(;/,n; Cou:fv\ ('olund.us. Wis. Two daughters
were born unto them. Leavini;- SaratoL;-a about twehe years
ayo he settled at Lime Sprin-s and eni;-ai;ed in his trade of
bricklayini,'-, plastering-, etc. .Mr. Price is a man of g-ood
mora! habits and jirinciple^, upri^;lit in his business, i^-enerous
taste for theolo-v and takes a lively interest in christian
work, especially in the Welsh church, o| which he is ,in
active elder.
2S6 THK WKLSH IN MINNESOTA.
riMCK, IJOWLAM) W.- P...rn ;it Kactorv Ochiiul, near
IJanrhwst, Doiilii-hshirc, Walvs. Ni)vrmlicr 1,^, IS.U. Son of
Win. K. and Jane I'rioo. ICnii-ratcd with his ])arcnts in 1S43
to the vicinity ol' I'tica, X. Y,, and, thence, after two years,
to Kacine, Wis. In 1S47 they retnoved to Cambria, Wis., and
from there to South llend. Minn., in July, 1SS5, where the
father formed a partnershiii with Hon. I ). C. lOvans in the
millinj,"- busine-^s. November 15, bS5s, he married Miss Sarah,
daughter of Isaac Woods ,d" South IJcnd, Minn., who was
born in An-vist, bS4.^. at Jackson. ( ). Thev soon thereafter
located on their present birm in Juds,,n. Mr. Price has held
a number ni oflices in his town and has been a ]irominent
elder of tlie Sei.m C. M. church for many years, and has been
active in every - 1 worl<. ifis children are: Wm. J., Ed-
ward T., Annie J., M.iry lO.. David K. and John R.
rJtICK, lli:\. i;(>!;i:i;'r D. r.om in Ccmway, Carnarvon-
shire, Wales, Au-ust 21, ls:7. Son of K.d)ert and Mar<,'-arct
Price. IJc^'-an iireachinL;- with the M. E. church in 1S47 in
Llanrhwsl circuit. Came to America in fs.^o, locatins;- in
Cambria, Wis.. f,,r b)ur years. There on April 7, 1S.S2, he
married Miss .\.nn, dau-Jiter of John and Catherine Koborts,
who had been born .it Pont Xewvdd, Carnarvonshire, March
4, IS.M. In IS.^4 he was onlained t.. the full work of the min-
istry at J.-inesville, Wis. Removed to Dodyeville, \Yis., in
1854. and thence in M.iy. 1S,=.(,, to South I'.end, Minn., and or-
ganized a Welsh M. !•;. church in the f.ill of that year, and
remained in charj^-e of the Welsh mi-^sion until 1S()S. He was
assigned to the tianlen City circuit in ISd'i. He then retired
from active ministerial work until ISSK, when he was put in
charge of the Ka-le Lake M. l']. circuit, and when this circuit
was divided in ls;.S2, he was assii^iied to the Cleveland cir-
cuit until 1S,S4. This year he spent on a visit i,, Wales. In
1SS()-S he organized and had ch.irge of the mission churches
of Kapidan and Sjirin- Island. South I'.end. In IS.S'i-'M) he
ministered to the circuit at Xicidlel station. Mr. Price has
been very faithful and energetic in the irospel ministrv, and
his labors among the pioneer churches of the west have been
owned and blessed i^'-reatlv ni the Ivord. In IS'M he and .Mrs.
Price retired to .M.mkato. where thev h.ive a pleasant home.
Their children .ire: John K., Josiah Wesley. Marg;iret C,
Louisa Ann, P.dwin C.ir.olog, .Vbr.iham Lincoln, Jennie.
Thos. A., Albert P. .md L.lizabelh. II.
->?,
'^■sg J^
«&.'
^^
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'
)
1
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^
V
<
Rev. Peter S. Davies,
^ *?4/
■' <
r'
-' X '^'^'--
\. \ i
J ■ . . :
a^..-
. u......^...--..i?'
i^^ ^^
'>*^'v't-'. .V /
Jr^Os^'^ ,
...^.^
Rev. James M. Pry;
(de(i:am-;i>.
Rev. John W. Morgan, Rev. Richard (i. Jonts,
DEAUWIKII), S. D. SIIAKOrEi;, MINS.
PROMINEVT WELSH MINISTERS OF PRESI3VTERIAN CHUKCH.
THE WKLSII IN MINNESOTA. -0/
PRTTCIfAllI), <)\VI':.\— Horn at IJryn Gwran, AnylosL-a,
Wales, January :s, ls;o. Ilis iiarents wcro C)wcn and Ellen
Pritchard. Ik- cnii.>,rratcd lm tlic I'nitcd Slates in 1S54, lirsl
making- his hinno in Madisnn county. New York, then movin-
to Waukesha, Wis. Aui^ust, 1S55, he married Mrs. Elizabeth
Rowlands, and six children were born them, only one of whom
survives, Mr. Arthur Pritchard, who is a merchant at Lake
Crystal, Minn. There are, also, two sons of Mrs. I'ritchard
by her former husband in successful business at Lake Crystal,
namely John Edwin and Chas. Henry i>:owlands. In 18(-4 Mr.
Pritchard moved with his family to Cambria, Minn., where
he resided on a farm for lour years. He then removed to the
Salem nei.i,'-liborhood, Ihitternut \'allev. where he purchased
half a section of land. In ]S7.^ he enli-^ted in the C. S. Civil
. Enyineer Corps au.l heliu-d build the Si-seton and Wahpelon
Agency buildin-s near Kt. Wadsworth. S. Uak. In fSTS he
movedto Lake Crystal, Minn., and was appointed i)ostmaster
there in 1SS.=., but resii^Mied the followini: year. IJesides farm-
ing- Mr. Pritchard has been enga!,'-ed in bricklaying and con-
tracting, lie is active in all iDliticai. social and religious
movements and a faithful member of the Welsh church.
PKIT('l!Ai;i>. IJOr.lOirr S.— iJorn at Erw Llang-ristiolus,
Anglesea, Wales. August IS, IS.^S. Hi-, parents were IIui:!!
and Mary Pritchard. Learned the carpenter trade at Valley
near Caergyby, Wales. iMuiLirated to I'nited States in April,
1S5(), and locateil in Kacine. Wis., for two vears, thence came
toSouth Lend, .Minn., in .Line, 1S3S. Married Miss Mary,
daughter of ICdward l-:d wards. Enlisted in Company E,
Second Minnesota t'avalry in December. lsi,3, and served dur-
ing- the war. His wife died .March K.. Iss2. Married ag'ain
Miss Elizabeth, dau-hter Evan Davis. late (.)f Judson, May
11, 188(>. lie is generous, kindhearted and genial — a worthy
man and neighbor. His children are: Ilu-h. John and Mary.
ritVCE, M. A., lli:\. .JA>Ii:S :\l()l{(iAN— Uom in
Tredegar, Wales, April L^, fS2(.. When a boy he came to
this country with his father, but was left an orphan at an
early age, and sui)ported himself by working- in the mines.
The late Dr. L. W. Chidlaw wrote of him: "(.Jver forty years
ago I met the young- Welshman, a collier working in the
mines at I'omeroy, O. A consistent christian, an enthusiastic
student of the Scriptures and of eloquent lips, at the reciuest
of the church he C(m-.menced ]ireachinL: the Gospel in his na-
tive language, and entered upon a course. of study."' lie be-
5S TflE WICLSH IN MINNKSOTA. I
g-;in preaching- when hut Ki, and was or'-kiincd in tlic Preshy- |
terian church when ::i. In 1S4S he was married U> Mary ^
Moro-au of Palmyra, (..)., the Kev. Ildwell Powell nfticiatinur. I
After a short ministry in iOastern Ohio, he took chart^-e of the ^
Welsh Presbyterian church in Cincinnati; hut in a year or j
two he 3-ielded to urg-ent solicitation, and became pastor of !
the CongTei,'-ational church of Paddy's Run, O., where he con-
tinued about seven years. Then as the result of intense ap-
plication to Work and study, he was prostrated with ner\'ous
debilit}' and a stroke of paralysis. Kecoverintr somewhat, in
the summer of 1S(>3 he removed with his family, for the
chanjife of climate, to IJurlingrime. Kansas. lie never wholly
recovered from the break-down, but remained throuL,''h life a
great sufferer from neuralg'ia; vet he continued in his work to
the end. In Kans.is, besides preaching, he served as County
Siiperiiitendent of Public Instruction, and urged the develop-
ment of coal miniiiL;-. lie opened the first coal mine in Kan-
sas, sending to()hio for Welsh miners. In 1S(>7 he removed
to South Bend, .Minn., and preached for some time in Welsh f\
in that village and in ICnglish in Mankato. His subse'iuent ji
charges were the Presbyterian churches at Jordan, Minn., !;
Prcscott, Wis., Lake City. Minn., Blue Springs, Neb., and %
North Bend, Wis. He made one visit to his native land, J
Spending a year in iss.i 4 in Wales and London, where he 1
was received with enthusiasm by the Welsh and preached al- j
most incessanth'. Mr. Prvse was a born preacher, few sur- j
passing him in his prime, in lluent and moving eloquence. jl
He used both the Welsh and Knglish languages with cpial ||
facility. He freiiuently made preaching tours among- the
Welsh communities, and was ahvays received as only the
Welsh know how to receive their fav<irite preachers. He was
also a profound scholar and had few- equals as an acute
thinker. He contributed many articles to English and Welsh
periodicals on religious subjects, and w-as ever alert to defend
Christianity from attack, not only with the pen but in public
debate. As a debater he was invincible, .md at various times
met in public debates of from three to eight nights each, Mr.
Fleming, an intidel, at Cincinnati, Kev. Mr. Ciag-e, a univer-
salist, at Venice, ()., M..ses Hull, a spiritualist, at Mankato,
whom he fairly ran away before the debate was completed,
and Mr. Jamison, another spiritualist, at Lake City, Minn.
He had, also, the faculty of g-aining the warm admiration and
friendshij) of infidels themselves, sometimes w-inning them to
. On
c not
in
ortl
<)dn>
1,L
Hcvor
wro
te
of
ith ;i
buoya
nt
di.i
Kisit
(in,
hi esse
1 with
a
ty, Ik-
could
id
Lpt
lims
df
to men
, W(
im
.'11
coiuli
ions,—
.uld
into
rest
and i
nlU^
C I
ill
frioiK
and I
w
ds hi
s."
Ho
was a
hril
liant
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
the christian faith
him: "Kndowcd \n
wonderful versatili
and children of all
alike. He was my
conversationalist. His mind was so full that it overtlowed.
and groups of frii-nds would listen to him for hours, enchained
• by his interesting- talk. He was also a man of warm heart
and alTectionate disposition, and took a ^ronuine interest in
everyone he met. Hence the stroni^- hold he i^^ained U]<on all
classes of the community, old ami yoinii,'-, wise ami simple.
In weakness and sufferini,'- he worked on to the end, and died
in the harness, at North IJend, Wis., March 12, ISMl. Shortly
before his death he wrote these words,-- the last ever penned
by him: •'I have lived an honest and useful life to mankind;
my time has lieen sjient in doing- good; and I die in perfect
composure and resignation to the will of my Creator (iod."
He passed awav with a smile on his lips and his hands
clasped in ])rayer.
PU(J1I, 1).V VI i)— Corn in 1S27 at Tanyllyn, near Aberllyfeni,
Merionethshire, Wales. Son of Kdward and Laura Pugh. In
1851 was married by Rev. Kobert Ellis, then pastor of the
Cong-regational church nf Rliydvniain, to Catherine Pugh, of
Cefn Braich. In IS.^7 emigrated to Fairhaven, Vt., and in
1862 moved to Cambria, Wis., and thence in 1S()7 to Cam-
bria, Winn., where he still resides. His first wife died in
March, 1888. June l.S, 1S'»1, he married his second wife, Mrs.
Jane Price. He has been a deacon n{ the Salem Congrega-
tional church since 1S()7, serving with great faithfulness and
efficiency. He has also led the sing-ing at this church dur-
ing- nearly all of this period. He has held a number of town
offices, and his strong- common sense and genuine integritv of
character have won him the resi)ect of all the community.
I'UCJll, HON. T. .Al. — I'.drn at Pantrou, Cwmllyne, Cemmes,
Montgomeryshire, Wales, Se]>teml)er Id, IS.^^l. Landed in
America July. ISSl, went ilirectly to Watertown, Wis., then
left for Dodgeville and engaged in mining-. On the 2M day
of May, 1855, he arrived at South Bend, Minn., accompanied
by Thomas Phillips, and, immediately taking up a claim in
the same townshij), began farming, raising- the tlrst crop of
wheat in the county. In 1S57, the year of the Spirit Lake
massacre, helped to subdue the Indians. In 1S()(I, accom]>a-
pied bv Hon. I). C. Lvans, went tti Pikes Peak. Col., suffering
260 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
f,'TCut hardships. In 1S(,2 he went to Camp Release and
brought to Mankato ten Indians wlio were afterward hiui^-
amon.i,-- the thirty-ei-ht exeoiteil. In lS(,o was appointed
Provost Marshall, hnldiiii;- that ..ftice until the rel>ellion was
over. January ,^ii, isos, married Miss KUen, daui^hter of
Robert R. and Winniired Williams. In 1.S74 he wasappointed
Receiver of Publie M.mkvs at the I'. S. Land Olliee at Far-o,
Dakota Ter., reniainim,'- iti dfliee nine years. In 1SS4 he was
eng-ag-ed in the b.inkinL;- business at I'^Uendale. I>ak. In bSSS
was elected re[)rescntative t._i the Dakota Legislature. Owns
a large and valuable farm in South fiend, i le has retired
from active work for sinne years and n(_)W he atid his amiable
wife are living at Duluth with their two sons: ]-M\vard II. and
John T. Pugh, grain insp.-ctors. Mr. Pugh is the soul of
good nature and has always been active in politics.
KEJOS, .7()ll\- r.nrn February 5, 182'.. at Taliasin. Llangan-
felin, Cardiganshire. Son of John and Margaret Kees. Like
his father beb.re him, Mr. Kees learned the carpenter's trade.
In lS4(i he went in l/nrr\«u,[ to work and thence emigrated to
America, landing at New Orleans, November 14, 1S4S. After
a stay at the latter place of four months lie went to Chicago,
where he Wf)rked two and a half years, then moved to Galena
and St. Louis tor another two and a half years. His next
move was to La Crosse, Wis., whence he came to IJUie Earth
county, iNIinn., arrixin;.;- at South Lend June 17. 1^57. He
soon located on his ]>r<.si'ut farm in tln.> town of Cambria. In
August, 1S(,2, he enlisted in Comjiany VI. Ninth Minnesota.
and served through the war, beint;- assigned mostly while
south to the pioneer corjis. In November, 1S(,(,. he married
Mrs. Mary Roberts. After living some time at South llend
they removed upon their farm in Cambria. Mr. and Mrs.
Rees are honest, worthy people and faithful members (if the
Salem Congregational church.
KEES, JOHN— Lurn on a farm called Ln-ndiny, in the parish
of Llanelly, Carmarthenshire. Wales, July 27, 1S17. His
parents were Thomas and Margaret Kees. In October, bS.^'t,
he married JMiss Margaret, oldest dau^-hter nl John Jenkins,
of Gynheidre-fawr. They resided at New Dock, Llanelly, un-
til 1852, when they emigrated to IJlossburg, Pa. In October,
1855, they removed iv South IJeiul, Minn., and in the fcdlow-
ing March went on their chiini m the okl W'elsh settlement ni
Eureka, Nicollet county. There his good wife ilied in Aug-
ust, 1S5(>, leaving- him with seven young children alone to
THR WKI.SII IN ^riXNESOTA. 2('>1
fig-ht the hard liattlc oi pioneer life. Durins^- tlie war both of
his hoys, Thomas and William, enlisted and died in their
country's service. Tlis live daughters i;"re\v to womanhood,
and all hut one are ntiw li\ini;-. Their names are: Rachel,
wife of Key. John W. Roberts, of Jud■^o^; Ann, wife of Wat-
kin Jones, of Windom; Jane, wife of John J. Lloyd, of Butter-
nut Valley; Margaret, wife of Robert S. IIu<,rhcs, of Lake
Crystal; and Afary, the late wife of Ileiirv R. Roberts, of Lake
Crystal. Since \S')2 Mr. Rees has resided at Lake Crystal,
having- by honest toil and thrift acijuired enou.^-h worldly
competence to li\-e comfortably. Simple and modest in his
ways, kind and hospitable in his disposition, strictly honest
and conscientious in all his dealin';-s Mr. Rees is a line type
of the best Welsh character. In 1S41 he united with the Ilap-
- list church at [Janelly, under Ivev. Robert I'ritchards, and
ever since has li\ed a sincere christian life. l''or many years
in Judson he was a deacon of the liaptist church and no (jne
ever performed the duties of that oftice more faithfully.
IIKKSI'], TLAIOTIIV— .Merchant, b.,rn at
Cardiganshire, Wales, Au^-ust 1, lS4.=i. At. the age oi
7 years he emigrated with his parents to Madison, N. Y.,
where he lived until 1SS4, when he mo\-ed ti> a farm near
Dodgcville, Wis. ICnlisted in 1S(.4 in Com])any C, Twelfth
Reg-imenl, Wisconsin Infantry \'olunteers, and served under
Gen. Sherman until close of war. March MK b'~i7o, married
Miss Anne, ilaughter (d' Kev. lOvan Owen of K'idgeway, Wis.
In 1872 he came to Judson, Minn., and was engaged in farm-
ing- until ISSl, when he moved to I.ake Crystal and birmed a
copartnership with 'Slv. J. I'^dwin l^^.iwhmds. in the hardware,
furniture ami farm imi)lement Inisiness. Mr. Keese was County
Commissit>uer of IJlue ICarth count\- in 1SS2 4. He is also a
worth}- member of the Presb\terian church anil id' the
G. A. R. post i>i Lake Crystal ami is highly esteemed by all.
liEKS, TIIOS.— I'.orn at I'lrondiny, in the Parish of Llanelly,
Carmarthenshire, Wales, July 2(., 1S4(I. Son of John .'ind
Margaret Rees. In Xo\eniber, ISt.l, he enlisted in Comjiany
E, Fourth Minnesota and was promoted corporal and serg-eant.
lie was wounded at the battle of Champion's Ilill near Vicks-
burg on May 16, lSb3, which resulted finally in his death on
Jatiuarv 2u, 1S(.4. He was a man of excellent character.
KEKS, W.Al.— i;.,rn at New Dock, near Llanelly, Carmarthen-
shire, Wales, May 22, 1S42. S.>n of John and Margaret Rees.
Came to Pennsylvania and thence to Nicollet county, Minn.,
262 THE WELSH IN JIINNESOTA.
with his parents. In AuLTUst, 1S()2, he enlisted in Company
E, Ninth Minnesota and served with his reg-iment until caj)-
tured at the battle of Guntown, Miss., in July, ISM. He was
taken to Andersonville ]>rison where he died tX-tober 11, lSf)4.
He was a dutiful -^(Hi. a f;iithful soldierand a sincere christian.
UICllAHDS. .lOlIX r.. ];,.rn at Kemsen. N. Y., December
15, 1857. Son of Thomas J. and Mar<^aret Richards. When
he was two years old his parents removed to Baraboo, Wis.,
and two years later to Prosoairon, "Wis., thence after three
years to Cambria, Wis., and from there to Butternut A'alley,
Minn., in the fall of 1S(,7.' At the ai^e of 1(, Jiihn left home
to clerk in the grocery store of R. J. Thomas, Mankato. Si.x
months later he entered the employ of Georg'e I. Lidtferwood,
of the same place. After three and one-half years he became
traveling- salesman for a Minneapolis dry g-oods tirm. In lss.=.
he formed a partnership with Henry Frink and opened a
larg-e dry gr,,,i,ls store at Mankato. In ISSS his brother, David
Richards, bought Mr. I'"rink out, and the firm has since been
J. B. & D. Richards. He married Miss Jennie, daughter of
Dr. J. D. Willi.-inis, of Caml)ria, Wis., in the summer of 1SS5.
They havL- one dau-hter, lulith.
KlCliAIJDS, TIIOS. .F.— Uorn at Penrhyn Bach, Merioneth-
shire, Wales, in ISll. His parents moved in 1815 to Tafarn
Trip, in the parish of Ffcstiniogf. There at the Brrmt-urnor
Sunday school he was g-re;itly impressed liy the remarkable
prayers of William Elias, of Maentwrog. In ls2n the family
• moved to Hendre Cer^yg-, Dyffryn Anludwy. When 2S years
old Mr. Richards married Miss Marg-aret ( )wens. of llron-y-
Foel-Fach. In 1851 they emig-rated to America and lived
eig-ht years at Holland I'atent, N. Y., and thence they moved
to Proscairon, Wis. In the fall of 1S()7 they came to Butter-
nut Valley, Minn. In Fe!)ruary, ISSu, Mrs. Richards died
and Mr. Richards ended this life in June, 1SS5. ]]oth
were devoted christians and faithful meml)ers of the Bethel
C. M. church, of which Mr. Richards was an efficient ehler.
He was a man of very positive convictions and prompt in his
denunciation of wrong. Mr. and .Mrs. Richards had twelve
children, only three of whom are now alive: John B. and
David Richards, merchants of M:inkato, and Marg-aret, wife
of John J. Edwartls, of the same place. Their son, Owen E.
Richards recentlv died at Mankato.
UOr.EKTS, .-MltS. .\.MV— Born at Trenton, ( )nei.la county,
N. Y., January 1, ISIS. She is a daughter of Criflith and
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 2r>j
Blizabeth Jones. On March 1, 1S4.^, she united in marriatre
with John R. Roberts and in the spriny of ]S55 they came
west and settled on a farm near St. Charles, Minn., where
the}' resided for six and one-half years. In the fall of ISdl
they remoyed to a farm in South Eend, Blue Earth county.
Mrs. Roberts is much esteemed for her amiable christian char-
acter. Her children are: Ann, wife of Ilug-h H. Ed^yards,
Esq., of Judson; Elizabeth, ^yife of Wra. E. Williams of Min-
neapolis; Edward and David, both of Blue Earth county;
Marj-, late wife of Daniel Edwards of Judson; Amy, late of
South Bend; John, Moses and Elias, all of Judson.
KOIJEKTS, (;i;iFl'^rni— Born at Coid Coch, Dyfryn Ar-
dydw}'. Parish of Llanendwj-n, Merionethshire, ^Yales, April,
18(KJ. Son of John and Jane (Lewis) Roberts. Married
Marg-aret, daufifhter of Robert Williams of Llaneg-rin. Merio-
nethshire, in 1S24. Emig-rated to Marcy near Utica, X. Y.,
in April, 1842. thence to Euclid, Ohio, about 1S46, thence in
1848 or 9 to Emmett, Wis. and thence to South Bend, Minn.,
in June, 1855. There September 3il, 1871, his wife died and
he followed her April 27, 187.S. His son. John (1. R.-lierts,
enlisted in Company K. Ninth Rei^iment, Minn. \'olunteers
and died at Andersonville I'rison. His daugditer, Winifred,
wife of Robert R. Williams still resides at South Bend.
KOUEKTS, HEV. (ailFF ITU— Born on a farm three miles
from Llanrwst, in Carnarvonshire, Wales, December, 1S17.
Son of John and Bridtjet Roberts, a very worthy reli^-ious
couple who brought u]> their children in the fear of God from
their youth. When (Triftith was ten years old the familv
moved to Penmachno and when a young- man he worked for a
time in the quarries. He received his poetical training from
J///o// 7r<,'(?/' and ( '/:;■(//(/;■(/(/. Wlieu 2i> years old he married
Miss Ellen Richards. He had been fitting- himself for the min-
istry from his youth and was licensed to preach by the Synod
in Merionethshire about 1S45. This same year he emigratetl to
Wisconsin with his parents and brother. Rev. John Roberts, late
of Columbus, Wis. He spent twelve years in charg-e of C. M.
church at Dodgeville. At the Synod of the C. M. churches
held at Seion, Welsh Prairie, Wis., in 184'J, he was ordaine<l
to the full work of the ministry. After spending- a few
months in Culoradn in lSf,4 betook pastoral charge of the
C. M. church of Salem. Iowa. In May, 1S74, he moved to
Cambria, Minn., wliere he ministered to the churches ol
Horeb and Bethel for fourteen years. In 18,S8 he resigned
264 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
pastoral work and retirei.1 to Lake Crystak where he and his
good wife still reside. Mr. Kuberts is a deep, conservative,
yet original thinker and when warmed to his subject he
preaches with much power. His children are: Thomas Koh-
erts, of Denver. Col., (Iriftith (i. Koberts, of Courthuid,
Minn., Kobert (i. Roberts and Jennie, widow of J(din S.
Jones, both of Lake Crystal, Minn., and Marv. wid.iw of
Wm. Shields, of Mankato. Minn.
KOIiKirrS, IIAI{L.\X I\-]:orn December.^. IS.M, at Wil-
liamstield, Ashtabula countv, Ohio. llis i,^randf:ither was
Judye Geori;-o Koberts who was born and married in North
Wales, and at the hefjinninj,'- of this centurv came to this
country and settled and raised a family in Ebensburg, Pa.
His father was Rev. Geor-;-e Kol)erts, who ijrraduated at AVash-
ing-ton school, in western Pennsylvania, and ])re;iched in
Welsh durin;,'- his early ministry, but afterwards took- an I'^Ui,'--
lish church in Ashtabula county, Ohio, and his familv was
born and raised in that county. The maiden name of the
mother of Harlan P. Roberts was Ann Jennettc Marvin, and
his father was a cousin of the well known Welsh divines Rev.
Samuel and John Roberts { Lhinhryiiiiniir\. their father beim,--
a brother of Jud<re Oeors^'-o Koberts. The subject of this
sketch ijraduated from Oberlin college in 1S75, and sjient three
years at Yale Theolo^-ical seminarv, from which lie y-radu-
ated in 1S7S, with the intention of enterinir the ministry in
the Cong-resji-ational church, but was hindered by a throat dif-
ficulty. In 1S7S he went to Silverton. t'ol., where he was
elected county treasurer, .and at tlie s.ame j>lace in 1SS2 was
admitted to the bar. In 1SS4 he came to Minneapolis where
he has ever since been attendini^f strictly to law, havinir a
larg-e practice. For four years he was in ])artnership with J.
T. Baxter, under the name of Roberts tt B.axter, and now is
in partnership with John C. Sweet, under the name of Rob-
erts & Sweet, and have their oftice in the Bank of Commerce
building-. Since coming to the city Mr. Roberts married
Miss Margaret Conklin, of i;ini,'-ham]iton, New York, a niece
of David C. Bell, of Minneapolis.
ROr.EItTS, lir(Jn (J. ( ^,:.T;;;M'//.-Born at Gaerwen. Ang-
lesea, Wales. September, 1S54. Son of David and l^li/.abelh
Roberts, being the youngest ot ten children. His fatlur died
in 1S.>S and mother in iss,",. In 1S74 he removed to a ]ilace
called Llan-f.-iir-invll-'jfwyngvll, from the last ])art of which
name he derived his bardic iimii dr plfimc. At this place he
THE WKLSII IN' JIIXNESOTA. -'>='
was mana-crof a st..re for Wm. Ilu-hes ( .SV-A/zn for nine
years. In 1SS5 he married ixrace. eldest dau^fhter of R. W.
Parrv and about the same time started in general nierean-
tile business for himself. In the spring- of ISSS failintr health
oblig-ed him t.- sell his business and seek a drier elimate. ( )n
his departure fmm Wales th.e soeiety of -"Cymry Fydd" ( Com-
ing Welsh! of whieli he was a member, presented him with
an" address and a purse <.f /Jin 'S.^n^. May 17. ISSS, he
started from Liverpool with his wile and tw.. boys. Gnthth
and David, and arrived at Mankato June 7. Located first
three years at Judson. th.en for one year at Lake Crystal, and
ever since at M mkato. 11- is very fond of music and poetry
and has won many bardic jirizes.
ItOr.KKTS, lir.AirSIKJCV .I.— r.om February 24, 1S4S, at
• Ty Hen, Kh.wnei,nr, An-Mesea, Wales. He is a son of Owen
and Catherine Koberts. herein mentioned. Emigrated with
his parents to Wheelinir. W. Va.. in the spring of lS5(t.
Thence he removed to .MinersviUc. (>.. in 1S52, and again to
Mason City, Va.. whence in November. ISS.-, he came to Jud-
son, Minn., with his j.arents. He received an ordinary com-
mon school education and in lS7u atten.led a commercial
school at St. Paul. November .v 1S7.^ he was married to Miss
Kate J. Jones, daughter of Mr. Evan Jones, of Judson. Mr.
Roberts is a member of the C. M. church, of Jerusalem, in
which he is a very earnest and active worker. He is always
a stout champion .d' the right and has the courage of his con-
victions on every moral and reliiri.ais question. He now owns
and resides in the house built by his uncle, the late Humph-
rey Jones, on the very spot where he Jones) and his seven
pioneer comrades built the first log shanty in Judson. (See
cut of house and Mr. Roberts and familv on jtage 31. )
KOr.KKTS. lir>MMIi;i:V O.— li.rn January 1, 1841, in
Castell Moelun, Llanrug, Carnarvonshire, Wales. His par-
ents were Owen and Ann Koberts. Having lost his father
when very young he was taken bv his uncle, i father's brother )
Rev. Thos.Owen Pentre Tchaf near Pwllheli, where he re-
ceived a common scIi.m.I iMhication and also learned his tra.le
as carpenter. In the spring of isoo he came to Slatington,
Pa., and the following year went to New York city, where on
March S, lsi,2. he married Miss Mary Jones. In the fall of
1S(.2 m.ived to Plica, N. Y., an.l remained there two years,
and another two years were spent at Cambria, Wis., after
which he went to llangor, Wis., in the spring of lS(.t,. Here
ytG THI'; WKI.SII IN MINNJvSOTA.
he engag-cd in the busiiuss of manufacturing wai,''nns and
he nios'L'd to Linn- Siiriiii;s, la., to live on a larni lioUL;iit in
ISTO and rcinaiiKid tluTc uiiiil hi-, eoniiuL;- to Minnoaixdis in
ISSO. Here he worked at his trade, superintended the
buihlin-,'- <d' theehureh, the hir-v dwcllin-- (d K. II. Jones on
Park avenue and others, and lor a time lie also ran a re]iair
shop. In ISSS he invented a ri\etinii" maehine whieli has
been phued on the market. He has stnui- juditieal convic-
tions and twice lias been the I'r.diihitioii can.lidate lor alder-
man in the Se\enlh ward, a positi.)n lor which he is well
adapted. He w, is elected deacm (d" tile church of Koreston,
la., anil was active in the orL,'-.iiii/.,ition of the Minneaiiolis
church, where he h.is served in the same capacity from its he-
^itltlini,'-. Hellas been actively enL^ai;ed intemperance ami
literary work and has composed some line poems. It has been
his lot to have been the lirst president of the liible, Temper-
ance, Wyddorfa and Cymrodoriou societies, which he has
aided in or,i,'-ani/,in,L;-. He was, also, the lirst secret.iry (d" the
MinneaiKilis church and, for years, a member of the board of
trustees. Mr. Roberts is a llueiit si)eaker, atid is always ready
to take part in e\er\- t^dod work.
liOr.ICIJTS, .lOIlN <i. liorn at Ilristol. Fillmore county,
Minn., in 1S(,7. Son of Mr. and Mrs. (Iril'lith ('.. Jones. Ke-
ceived a g-ood busiiKss education at MinneajMilis. I'\)r a num-
ber of years has been in the employ (d' the J. I. Case Manu-
facturint,'- Co. and has been very successful. His home now is
at Lime Springs where he is an etlicient member of the Welsh
church and held in hiijfli rei,'-ard by the entire community.
ItOUICirrS, Kiev. .)()Si':i*M-i;m-n in the nei;,'-iiborhood of
Penmachno, An-lesea, Wales. He received the most careful
relii^'ious training- from liis youth and was ;in ellicieiit worker
of Rhyd-y-Meirch t\ .M. church when a mere boy. He earlv
indicated his preference for the ministry and showed siyiis of
sjiecial ;il)ility for the work. He received an excellent educa-
tion and came to America to take cliarL;-e of the missicjii work
in the vicinity of K.iir Ha\en, \'t., where he rendered si)len-
'did service. He m.arried Miss Ma-- ie, d.au-hler ..f the able
de.acon D.ivid Ca,l wala.ler, formerly .d' Proscairon, Wis. In
1S74 Mr. Roberts accepted a call to the C. .M, church at Ka-
cine. Wis., where he lab.ired verv ellicieiillv f<n- lifteen years.
In June, ISS'i, bo accepted an unanimous'c.ill to the Wcdsh
church of Minncapoli.,, Minn., where he ministered with -reat
(<■
Rev. John Atoses.
Rev. Joseph Roberts, D. D.
TKK WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
2('>7
success until November, 1S<)4, when he became pastor of
the C. M. church at New York Citv, where he now is
in the midst lA a threat work. He is a great reader, a close
student and a profound thinker. Has contributed many val-
uable essavs to Welsh periodicals which have won him a hiifh
place as a'thinker and man o( letters. He is a preacher and
divine of rare ability and has presitled frequently at local and
g-encral assemblies of the C. M. church.
KOr.KJtTS, LirU'T. .M)IIN K.— Horn Au-ust 4. lS;v^. in
Oneida county, N. Y. He was a son of the Rev. Kichard
Roberts, late of Ebensburii-, Pa. The family removed to
Ebensbury when John was quite youny. In the sprin<r of
1858 he left home and came to South Bend, Minn. From
there he went to the r.i- Woods Welsh settlement ;;nd in
'Aug-ust, 18(,2, enlisle<l in Company IC, Ninth Minnesota and
was appointed second lieutenant. May 1(., 1S(,,>. he married
Miss Dorothy .lones. daughter of Mr. Thos. W. Jones, late of
LeSueur countv. Tie was wounded in the leg- while leadmtr
his conipanv to a char--e on the rebel lines at the battle of
Nashville. " He was taken to the hospital and there died Jan-
uary 4, 1SC5, from a fever induced by the wound. He was one
of the bravest and best of men. No man in his rc<,^imenl stood
hig-hcr in the esteem of his comrades for bravery, honesty and
every element of qfcnuine christian manhood than he.
K()r.I':UTS, l{I':V. .IOIIN W.— Unm at IVn-y-droes, Llan-
ihenadl parish, An-l^sea, Wales, in March fs;^U; son of^ Wm.
and Elizabeth l^oberts. who were devout people an I faithfu'
members of the C. M. church at Bodedrn near bv. Here their
son, John, was baptised by the renowned Welsh preacher, Kev.
John Elias. Emitrrated to Ixonia. Wis., in the sprin- of is,s4.
After one year reuK.ved to B.in^-or, Wis. where he remained
two years and beg-an to preach. In March, 18.^7, he removed
to the Welsh settlement of Le Sueur county, Minn. There he
ministered to Sanm church for live years, preaching, also, for
the Welsh churches ,,f Blue Earth county. He j.reached the
first and last sernmn in the Saron log church building. In
1858 he married Marv, daughter of Evan Griffiths, of Le Sueur
county. His wife died in ISt.l, leaving two children, Evan
Roberts, now of St. Haul, and Elizabeth, wife of Chas. E.
Davis, of Judson, Minn. In 1S(.:^ he removed to Judson, and
three years later married, Kachel, daughter of John K'ees, of
that town. At the annu.-il syn.ul ,,f the C. M. churches held
June, 1S87, he was ,.rdaine<l to tlie full work o[ the ministry.
268 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA
He has visiteil Wales two m- throo times ami made extensive
preachini,'- tours then> and tIin>UL;-li the Welsh settlements of
this country. He is noted tor his honest, christian character
and his sincere faithluhiess in the christian ministry. Ilis
children by his second wile are: Wni. K., John C, Kohcrt C.
and Thomas S.
ROUEIM'S. OWKN— Uorn at LkichcnlTarwudd, Anj^desea,
Wales, in 1S2<>. Son of Henry and ]Mari,'-aret Roberts, who
died when he was seven years old. Married in 1S4') Miss
Catherine, dauu-hter of Robert Jones, Ty Hen, Khosiie'^'ir,
Llanfallo'T, An-lesea, where she was born June 15, 1S21.
Emifjrated to America in 1S5U and spent two or three years at
Wheeling- and Mason Citv, W. \'a., and about two vears at
Pomeroy, ( ). In 1S5.^ he removed to Judson, Minn., and loca-
ted on his present farm. The Jerusalem C. M. church was
organized at his house in July, 1S5S, and the services were
hehl there for some time. He" was, also, elected one of the
two lirst elders of this church, and has been alw.ays faithful
and g-enerous toward all christi.in work. His wife died April
24, ISOO. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts h.td eii;-ht children, only two
of whom are livini,'-: Humphrey J. Roberts, of Judson and
Henry K. Koberts of Lake (,'rvstal.
KOP.KKTS, |{I('n.Vi;i).-i;orn at IJanddona, An-Jesea,
Wales, in 1S2'». In 1S3U he married Miss J;ine Jones of the
same shire. He emiL,''rated with his wife and three children
to America in 1S55, stopping- for two years at Racine, Wis.
He removed to C'ambria, \Vis., in 1S57, where he was eng'ai^ed
in farming-, and thence came to I'ambria. Minn., in ISi..^. Here
his wife died in 1S77. In tlu' vear bssi) he married a^rain, his
second wife being- Mrs. l\li/,abeth Kurg.ss, daui;-hter of the
late John Shields. In ISSl he renioveil to the village of Court-
land in Nicollet county, where he r.sided up to the year 1S')4,
when he came back to Cambria, having- iniri-hased the Shields
homestead in addition to his own. He had live children by
his first wife, oiih- two of whom are now li\ing, vi/.: \Vm.
Koberts of South llend, and Mrs. J.is. I). Price, of Cambria.
I'.y his second marriage he h.is two children, Minnie and
Enoch. Mr. Roberts was chosen elder of Horeb church in
1S(,S and has serveil it evrr since with great ;iccept.ince. He
is a man of the strictest integrity, gifted with good, shrewd
common sense and much natural humor.
iMU'.icirrs, i;()i;I';i;t- r.om at Xaut cchaf .\bergeie n.-n-
highshier, Wales, Julv 12, 1S.^^; son ol Roi,ert and M.irv Kob-
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 269
erts. After speinlinLr two years in Liverpool, in 1S5() he eini-
g-rated to Norwieh, X. Y., and thence in tlie suninier of 18S7,
he came with his brother. Win. K. Koherts, to .Mankato,
Minn., where he lias made his Iioiiie e\'er since. Attended
school from 1S5S to 1S{.2, except one or two terms, when he
taii^rht country schools, fn AuLTii^t, 1S(,2, he enlisted in
Com])any E, Ninth Minnesota \'o]iinti'ers, and served until
the close of the war. He then followed the plasterer's trade
for some time. In 1S77 married 1-^lla S. Con^'-er. The same
year heacce])ted the position (jf business manajrer of the Man-
kato Manufacturint,-- Co., and continued as such until the sum-
mer of ISSd. In 1S(>") he was elected a member of the Man-
kato city council and served three years. Was (le])uty county
treasurer, under Win. Jtmes, for two years. In lt^')4 he was
- elected countv commissioner from the city of Mankato. He
is honest, thriftv and of sound iudirment.
KOr.EirrS, KOUIJJT W. :iii<1 (ilfACi:- .\Ir. Koberts was
born at l)d,.l, parish of Llanl!i-an. MontLn.mervshire, Wales,
in ISKi. He was a -jrrandson of Kev. Kobert K(d)erts, of Cly-
nog', a noted C. M. preacher, and nephew of Michael Koberts
U\vll-EH). Emigrated to Oneida county, N. Y., in 183(.,
and at Utica in 1847 married Miss Urace Williams. Mrs.
Roberts was b.irn at Cae (Iwi-in. j.arish of Llanllechitl, Car-
narvonshire, Wales, May, ISIS. Einii^Tated with her parentfi
to Steuben. N. Y., in 1S2S. In IS.^4 Mr. and Mrs. Koberts
removed to I^a Crosse, Wis., thence in IS.Sd to South Bend,
Minn., thence in ls<,4 to Martin county, Minn., and thence in
1874 to Sharon, Le Sueur, county. There Mr. Koberts died
June 18, 1882, ami in 1SS5 the family m(jved back to IJlue
Earth county, where Mrs. Koberts still resides with her son.
Wm. E. Koberts, of Butt.-rrut Valley. Their other children
are: John M. Koberts, of Mankato; Marjyraret, wife of David
Woods; and Katie, wife of John D. lOvans of Judson.
KOr.EIITS, KSOV. Wn.LIA.AI-i;,,rn at l>en-y-Groes, j.ar-
ish of Llanyn^-u--ena(ll, AnL.Hesea. Wales. His father, Wil-
liam Koberts, bel.ini;-ed to the laniily of ( W.^/c// in same jiar-
ish, his mother, l':ii/:;ibeth, was <lescendant of I 'oirhoi-, IJode-
dern. When Wil
liam was a child 1
is ]iarents moved to I'en
rhos, where they
li\ed until thev l
aiiie to .Vnierica in 1S50
They settled f.ir
L season in Ixoni;
. \\'is., where in IS.sl tlu
subject of our ski
tell be,i,'-an to pre;
ich. In November, 1S5.=.
he came to South
Kend, Minn., an.l
preached regularly then
and in the Zion n
iLi'hborhood until
the spriui; of 1S.=.(., when
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
he returnoil h< Wisconsin, and married Miss Mary ClKsliire.
sister of Isaac Cheshire, at Racine. In the sprini,^ of 1.S37 lie
again removed to South i;. nd, and after a short soiourn in
Wisconsin durinj;- the Indian outhieak of 1S(,2, lie located
on a farm in Judson, Minn., .tnd orL;-anize<l (.'armel church in
1869. In a few years he sohl his farm and removed to Skunk
Grove, near Kacine, Wis. Thence he returned to Wales
where he has been pastor of ( \ipcl < 'orh church, Anglesea, for
about twenty years. His wife died in the siirini,-- of Is.SS.
His daughter, Lizxie, is his only surviving child. He is an
honest, sincere christian and faithful jireaclier.
1{()WLAM>S, Ki:V. DAMKL T.-lIorn M.v 2., isr,. at
Nant-y-(iraen, Llanllechid, I'arnarvonshire, Wales. He emi-
grated to Welsh Prairie, Wis., in 1S47. March 15, is.s::, he
was married at Dodgeville, Wis., Kev. Kichard (\. Jones, of-
ficiating. They resided sometime at Dodgeville and then re-
turned to Welsh IVairie. Mr. Rowlands had began preach-
ing before leaving Wales, but had refused a letter showing
the fact to the Wisconsin churches. A letter, however, was
sent and he was soon urged to preach by the then pioneer
churches of Dodgeville and Welsh Prairie, and soon after
his marriage he was ordained to the full work of the ministrv
at a synod of the C. M. churches hekl ;it Proscairon. Wis. He
. resided some years at l^erlin, Wis., and thence went to \'er-
mont for one year. He then returned to Madison, X. Y., b.r
four years and thence to care for the churches of Collinsville,
Tug Hill and Constableville, N. Y., for two years. He next
moved to Lime Springs, la., in 1S(,7, where he organized the
Foreston church. About 1^71 he removed to Ijkie Karth
county, Minn., to minister to the Welsh Presbyterian churches
of South Bend and Judson. About LS84 he removed to Aber-
deen, Dakota, where he has retired from active labors— only
preaching occasionally. Mr. and .Mrs. Rowlands are now en-
joying the fruits of a l.mg life of christian usefulness.
S1III-:LJ)S, .)(HIN~-l!,,rn at Llantrisant. Clanmorganshire,
Wales, October 31, 1S17. Worked in the coal mines of Trede-
gar, Dowlais and other places. lOarlv in 1S41 at Victori.a,
Monmouthshire, he married Miss Jane, daugliter of Wm. and
Jane Tanley, who had been born July 2S, ISli,, at Cervg, C\-i-
darn, Breconshire. Soon after their marriage thev emigrated
to America and settled at Pottsvilje, Pa., for three ve;irs,
thence went to Cumberl.iiid. Md.. for two vears. thence to
Mt, Savage, Md.. for some time, where .Mr. Shiel.ls united
THE WELSH IN 31INNKSOTA. 271
with the Coni^TciratiotKil church. They next inoveil toC'hirk-
ville, P.I., thence to ( ireensville, i';i., an.l Ircnn there in ls4'i
to Pomeroy, < >. I.eavini,'- his I'iunily tliere. in 1S52 Mr. Shiehls
went to seek his iurtune in tlie LT'ihl lieMs oi Caiiloriiia.
There he met with an accident bv a rock talliiiL;- .m liis head,
which affected him through ]Hu and m his hitter years
broug-ht on a si>f(enin^- i>f the brain fmni which he died.
Returnini,'- from California he remoxed with his family in
May, 1S5(>, to Cambria, Minn., where he located on his farm.
At the S'ioiix massacre of lS(i2 he was one (d the New I'lm
defenders. MorninLT <d' the main battle he, with a dozen
others, were detailed to L,'-uaril the Keil Stime ferry. The In-
dians attacked them in oyerwhelmini; numbers and Mr.
Shields barely escaped .me bullet passing- throu-h his hat.
A few years after the death, October 27, ls77. of his
beloved wife, he went to live with his dau-hter, Mrs.
Richard Roberts at Courtlan<l, .Minn., where he died October
2'), IS')]. Mr. Shields was a worthy member of Iloreb C. M.
church from its ori^'-ani/.ation until his death, lie was an
honest, industrious, iru^-al man. He was of a social disix)-
sition and f.md id' wit and humor. He liad seven children.
One died in infancy and three sons in mature years: Enoch at
Courtland, Seiiteinber '», iS.S2, in his 2hth year, William at
Ipswich, Dak., Xo\-ember 2'). 1SS(,, in his ,^7th year and John
J. at Cambria, }vlinn., IS't.,. in his 4i^t year. Three ilauyhters
still remain: Rachel, wife of Wm. T. .lones, of St. Peter,
Minn., Elizabeth, wife Richard Roberts, Cambria, Minn., and
Martraret Jane, wife .1. .T. Cleveland of LaCrosse. Wis.
TII031AS, 1)K. DAVID OWKN, l>. IJ. ( . i\. .^1. I{. ('. S.—
Born at Penybeng-loy Mill, near lyniwyswrn, Penbrokeshire,
Wales, in 18.S2. Before he was 2n year-, old he came to this
country and resided at Youni;-stown, ( Miio. Soon afterwards,
in order to continue his literary education, the foumlation of
which was well laid in his native country, he entered IJethany
College, Va., and after live years li-railuated with the tle^Tee
A. B. He has obtained his medical education at several
schools and enlarg-etl his experience in fluropean hos[>itals.
After gfraduatinir from the Meilical L'oUe-e of Indiana, at In-
dianapolis, he practiced for two \e,irs in that state. Moveii
to Minneapolis in IS^io aiid coniimied lii-> ]irofession for three
years. Desirini,-- to widen his experience at the best meilical
centers, he left in ISSS an.l enlere.l the Coll.-e .d Physicians
nnd Sur^-ons, .if New York. ,in,l a-. mi ura.luate.l a D.icf.ir
372
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
in Medicine, rursuin- his studies still further he now went
abroad, and alter sdiue travel in the interest of clinical studies,
settled at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, where he
spent two years. Before returnin<,r he successfully passed the
examinations of tlie Conjoint IJoard (if tlie Koval Colle"-e of
Physicians, of London, and of the Royal (.'(dle.u'e of "sur-
ffeons of England. In ls'»l he returned to Minneapolis and
resumed the practice ni his profession and is well esteemed I,v
his fellow-practitioners. In l!SS5 he married Miss Anne,
daughter of Mr. Ovid lUitler, ol Indianai.,dis', wlio lias
seconded all his eUorts lu th.' ].ursuit of hi^rh^r medical
attainments. In faitn he is .i (:hri-.tian or Disciple. ]Ie is in
close sympathy witli all social and relii,--ious reforms anion;;-
the Welsh, and wiUin-lv len.ls a hehiini,-- hand in literary
matters. lie is a lover ,>i hooks, and if he is LTuiltv <d anv
extrava^rance it is in the purchase of rare books an Celtic
idiih.lo-v and archaecdo-v.
TIlKOI'IMLrS, II()\. W.Ai.-Lorn at Troclyrhiw, parish
of Llansadwrn, Carmarthenshire. Wales, Au^-ust (., IS.^S.
Linii^rated with his jia-
rents, Mr. and Mrs. Dan-
iel Theojihilus, to Amer-
,^^ ica in the summer id 1S(,S
A and located on :i farm near
/ Lime Sprin-s, la. His
i niotherdied in A]iril.ls7.^.
) His father has resided in
Lake county. South Da-
kota, for the last fourteen
vears. The subject oi
this sketch is a self edu-
cated man. He was clerk
of the district court of
Howard county, Li., dur-
\ in;: issr., 4, ,=; antl (>. In
/' isss, he was a candidate
''' for clerk of the suiireiiie
court of Iowa, and ran
L.^ou votes ahead of his
ticket. He was elected
a member of the Iowa
IcLrislature lor Isss and 'i.
June 7, ISSS, he married
/
IIOX. WM. Tui;o)
THK WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 2t7<
Miss Minnie A., .lauLrhtcr of J. H. Th.nnpson, Es.]., of Le
Roy, Minn., a most estim:il)k' lady. In ISSM ho removoil to
Arkansas City. Kan., where he resided nearly live years and
was admitted to the bar. In 1S'I4 he renu)ved to DaNenport,
la., and formed a law iiartnorshij) with (leo. W. Scott. Mr.
Theophilus has miieh ahility as a writer of prose and verso,
and has been eminently snccossful in politics and in the prac-
tice of his ])rofession. I lis father is a noted sini,'-er.
THOMAS, si;., ICDW.VKD- I'.orn in Llanidhies, Monti,rom-
er^'shire, in ISiiT. lCmii;Tated to Centerville, ()., soon after he
was married ; theiue to Coalport, ()., and thence in Ma^-, 1S55,
to South IJend, Minn., where he died Febrnary ^, 1S(,S. In
his youth he was a weaver by trade, but by seif-teachiny he
fitted himself for leaching- and taut,'-ht country scho(ds for a
-number of years in Ohio and Minnesota. He had a i,'-roat
passion for music ami tau<jht sin^"ini^ schof)l, also, in both
states. He also had some knowledn'e ni medicine and amon;.;-
the pioneers was generally known as "Dr. Thomas." lie was
a free soilor in jiolitics, a /.ealous lemperau'-e advocate, anil a
friend to every moral ami social reform. He was a ^,--00(1 con-
versationalist and debater and aji active promoter of literary
anil dobatins" societies. He was also an active christian.
TIIO^IAS, ll\:\. lODWAUl) >.l:;r//iv/r/. )— Horn in 1S.V» at
Centerville, ( ). Son of Dr. Ivlward Thomas. Tnited with the
C. M. church when 14 years old at Coalport, ()., under Kev.
John T. Williams. Came with his parents to South IJend in
May, 1855. Was ong-ai^ed in teaching- for a number of years.
In 1862 he enlisted in Company E, Second Minnesota Cavalry.
While in the service he composed a number of poems, one id'
which, I'ryddc^l iir W'ir l-\t-.vrcdd, won lirst i>rize at Miners-
ville, Pa., /C/.s/rddjod. He is a poet of rare merit, and his
compositions have appeared fre(iuently in the Welsh i>eriodi-
cals. In lSi,7 he entered the ministry and was ordained at
Foreston, la., October 14, 1S74. He has had charge .d' the
Welsh churches at Mankato, I'.ig W(hh1s, Dawn, Mo., and
Tracy, Minn., at which last ]dacc he is now located. He is .i
man of sj)lendid character and ;i champion of temperance.
THOMAS, .IAS. P.— i;,,rn January <., 1S2S, at Tir Canol
Crag-, I\yb.nog, r.recmshire. Kmigr.ited to Racine, Wis.,
\yhere he arrived l-\bru.iry IS, isS.^, .ind in Mav, IS.^I,, re-
moved to South Kend. ICnlisted in Comp.inv I, Curtis' Horse,
in November. 1^1,1, an.l discharged lor inability Jniu-, 1S(,2.
He married Mrs ]:K„..r Roberts January, ls7:. Owin- to
274 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
ill-health acquired in the anny he retired from his South Ijend
farm to the eitv of Mankatohi 1SS4, where he has heen the
janitor (jf the Con;j:reLi-atii>nal church f(jr many years. Ilis
children are: I^izzie, Ivaura, ICvan and Kobert. |
THOMAS, JOIIN-Korn in Carnarv(,nshire. Wales, Septem- i
her 25, 1833. Ilis parents moved when he was (|uite youn",-- to |,
Ty Mawr, Llanddyfyddan, Any^lesca, and in 1S3') emigrated ',
to Rcmscn, N. Y. In 1844 the family moved to Waukesha, 5
Wis., hcing- amonu: the first settlers of Prairieville, as the ;
place was called then. In IS.^I, .Mr. Thomas married Miss |
Ann, dauj^-hter of Daniel Carman (if Waukesha. In lS(i7 they i
moved to Blue Karth county, Minn., and located on a farm I
near Salem church, Judsnn. April 21, 1S73, his wife died. )
In 1875 he married Miss Harriet (irifiiths. He was amoni,-" the |
most prominent in the uri^-ani/ation of Salem C. M. church j
and was elected one of its two first elders in 1S72, He is a !
man of firm convictions and a jirincipal pillar of Salein church.
THOMAS, .JOHN II. — Horn at Melin Bodowyr, Llanidan, ,"•
Anylesea, ^Nlarch 27, 17'»S. Both parents were drowned when '1
he was 21 years old. May, 1S27, he married Miss IClenor
Pritchard, of (iearwen, Ani^lesea, and in 1>^31 removeil to €-
Liverpool, where he stayed twelve vears, and where in 1.S37 ■''
he joined the (.'. M. church, lie was a machinist hy trade .
and in 1843, removed to Crew, ICiii^'land, to work in the shops I
of the London lS: X. W. Ky. Co. In ls5o he emis^rated to near - j
Cambria, Wis., and thence in ISi.-, to M.inkato. Minn., where
he died Fehruarv 17, 1S77. lie was an honest, relii^'-ious man
and was ver}- active in establishing- the Welsh churches at
Crew and at Mank.ato.
TII03IAS, JOH-N i;.— l!,,rn April lo. 1S53. at Kacine, Wis.
Son of R. J. ami Sarah Thomas. Kemo\e 1 with parents to
South Bend in October, 1S(,3, thence in September, lS(i5, to
Mankato, where he recei\'ed a u'ood common scliool educaticm.
Clcrlced in his father's uToccry store for !i\e years and then
in 1S75 accepted position .is book keqier in Citizens" National
Bank of Mankato, where he reiuaiileil until January, 1SS4,
when he went to Miniie.ip.ilis lor two ycar^ as teller and bo(d<
keeper b.r the .Manufacturers' National Hank-. lie then re-
turned to Mankato to assume thr [.osiii,,,! o: c.ishicr of Man-
kato National Hank where he still coiuinviLs. He is (|uite a
I'resbylcrian church ch.iir. lie is a member of the .Masonic
order in which hr lias hrld a number of o::;ce~.
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N
THE VVKLSH IN JIINNKSOTA. .275
Tir()3IAS, -JOHN W.— IJorn in Steuben, Oneida county,
N. Y., Jiuuiarv 14, 1S44. ni Welsh parentau'e. His earlv ilavs
were spent <>n the farm in Steuben ami ]!ri(l;.;e\eater until
1857, when his iiareiits moved to J'.an^-or. Wis. He ..btained
his education in the district schools until about Id vears of
a<>-e, when he entered Sparta academy. Alter finishing- his
course at this institutiun, he entered the dry !_-■ Is Inisiness,
clerking- in Sparta, I'-irtai^e and Milwaidv-ee. In 1S(,') ho went
to Winona, nianai^in.-' a branch store for X. TI. W.^.d ,\: Co.,
whose principal place of business was located at Portai^-'e,
Wis. This same year he married .Miss Jennette Jones of LUica,
N. Y., by wh.MU he has three children, two dau-h ters and one
son. In ISTO he lornud a co-partnership with <;.'o. F. Hub-
bard, of Winona, in the dry i,'-oods business, continuiiiL;- two
years, at the end ol which time he st.irted business for him-
self on Third street, \\'in.>na, where he remained for lifteell
years and by his untirin-- ener-v and business ability, became
one of the leadin-- merchants of that urowin^- \(JunLr citv as
well as a respected and popular citixen. In Febru.iry, ISS,;.
Mr. Thomas moved to Minneapolis. The popular dry -.muIs
hous--, of which he is n<.w sole proprietor, was established bv
Geo. W. Hale in 1S(,7, and is the oldest house in this line in
Minneapolis. .Mr. 'IMiom.is i'ornied a co-partnership with (leo.
W. Hale and his brother .ielferson M. Hale in ISS,;. ( ;co. W.
Hale die.l in 1SS4 and .leffers.ni M. Hale in ()ct,.ber, IS'),^..
InFebrnary, 1S'I4. Mr. Thomas purchased the interest of the
heirs of Jefferson M. H.ile and is nows,,le pr.i]irietor. His
parents were staunch Calvinists. He has inherited much
of their reli,yious /.eal, en<leavorin,!4- to live his reliyi.m in
private, social and business life. He is an active member and
elder of the WT^stminster I'resbyterian church u\' Minneaixdis.
In his home he is a man (d' ([uiet tastes, devotedly attached
to his family.
TI[()3IAS, OWICN !■:. His father, Kvan Thomas, was a well
known farmer at Flan fairynni^hon wy, An,L;-lesea, Wales, aiul
he brt)uyht up biur sons who are exceedingly successful with
their occupations. Owen I], w.is Ixnai in 1S2'I at An-desea
and lived with his parents imtil he saile<l in ISS.^ b)r this coun-
try. He settled first at Cambria, Wis., and there married
Miss Jane Jones, a youny lady just arrived there from Wales.
They had three chiidren. His lirst wife havinii- died he mar-
ried Miss Fllen, dau-hter of Mr. and Mrs. W. F.vaiis, Lime
$prinys, and they had one daUL;hter. He moved from Cam-
276 THK WICLSH IN MINNKSOTA.
bria, Wis., to llristnl llrovc, .Minn., in ISI.S, wliurc ho is
well known as one of the rirhcst farnu-rs of Killmorc
county. Mr. Thomas, like all i)ioneers, went tliroimh many
privations and h.inlships, hut he went throui,>-h Iheui with
coiu-a<rc and fortitude. lie is noted for common sense, decision
of character, '^txid jud.i;-ment and uprii^ht dealinjj;.
T1I031AS, UICIIAIM) »!.— iJorn at Cwm-y-Dail, Manafon
parish, Montg-omeryshire, Wales. April .", lS2(i. Son of John
and Elizabeth Thomas. lOmi.trrated to Racine, Wis., in 1S4S.
He was a miller by occupation for eighteen years. March ?<\,
1852, at Kacine, he married Miss Sarah, daug-htcr of Thos.
and Kli/.abeth llaxter, who was born August M, IS.'M), at Llan-
faircaeroinion. Mont^-omervshire. fn lS().i he remo\ed to
South Bend, Miuti., and etii^'a^'eil in mercantile business with
his brother-in-law. W. W. Davis. In August, 18(.5. they re-
moved to Mankato atid starte<l in the i^rroccry business. In a
few years ISIr. Thonuis boULjiit out Mr. Davis and continued
alone until 1SS.>, havitiLT a \-ery \at'j:l- trade. lie died April
25, 18")4, leavin-- sur\ivin,L;- his beloved wife and three chil-
dren: John K.. i:ii/:abeth and Jennie. Mr. Thomas was an
able musician. In Wisconsin he was a tnember of the famous
Cambrian <Juartette led l)y I'rof. John P. Jones. In Minne-
sota he won prizes at musical contests both as a composer and
sing-er. For over twentv years he led the choir of the First
Presbyterian church of Mankato. lie was the most peaceable,
upright and kind hearted id' men.
T1K)3IAS, 3IK. and :>! ItS, TIIOS.— Mr. Thomas was born
in ISO') in Radnorshire, near Merthyr Tydvil, and Mrs. Han-
nah Thomas at Llangranog, Cardiganshire, Wales, in ISIS.
They were married at Merthyr, in 1S4.^. and emigrated to
Philadelphia, Pa., in 1S4(,, and thence to iMue Karth county,
Minn., in July, ls.^7, locating on the oM homestead still owned
by the family. adjoiuinL;- the lake which bears their name, in
Butternut Valley. Mr. 'i'houias died September 1, 187'), and
Mrs. Thomas Fcbruarv 1,^, IS'15, h-iviui^- surviving three sons:
Kice and Al)rahani Thomas, id Butternut X'.illey, and James
Thomas, of Lake Crvstal. lie was a moulder bv trade.
TIIO.^IAS, TIIOS. l».~Born at Cambria, Wis., March K.,
1852. Son of John K. and Klenor Thomas, late /jf -Mankato,
Minn. Came with his p.arents to Mankato in sjiring of 1S()(>.
lias always taken a great interest in religious affairs and the-
ological studies. Ir. IS'14 was licensed to i>reach among its
churches as a supply l)y the C. M. Synod of Minnesota. Ila^
p^#
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Thos O. Jones.
Lewis J. Lewis.
Evan Parry.
EARLY WELSH SETTLERS OF MANKATO, MINN.
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John Thomas.
Wm. S. Hughes.
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Johft R. Owens.
Thomas J. Richards.
EARLY WELSH SETTLERS OF BUTTERNUT VALLEY, MINN
THE WELSH IN MTNXKSOTA. 2i t
been ever ready and active in all hranclies of work in the
Welsh church of Matikato and is liMUcst and faithful.
WALTKIJS, I)AVIl)~-i;,,rn in Jacks.-n county, ()., in 1S4S.
Son of John and Ursula Walters, lale i>i Cambria, Minn. KV-
moveil with his parents to CaniKria in 1S5(.. Was a nieniher
of butternut \'alley ij-uards (luring- the In<lian outbreak of
18r.2. In November. 1S(,."^, rnlisted in Com].any E, Second
Minnesota Cavelry. lie married Miss Mary, dau<,--hter of
Hug-h R. Williams, in (),-tober, ls72. She died in Mav. ^S7.^.
June 17, 1S74, he married Miss Mary l^vans. who died July
28, ISS'). Married Mrs. Mary Williams, his ].resent wife, in
ISOO. Thev own. and reside on. the old Walters homestead.
WAl/rKKS/.MHIN- i:orn at I'anl .Vnihvcr. pi.rish of Llan-
rhystyd, Cardiijanshire, Wales, in 1 ^os. Son <d" Th.mias and
Martraret Walters. lie married Miss I'rsula, dau.irliter of
Stephen and Ursula Davis ot llie s.-une parish. They emi-
grated to Jackson countv, O., in isvi, and thence in May,
ISSr., with the Jackson cidoiiy to Klue lOarth county, Minn.,
and in June locate.l .ni the ..Id homestead in Cambria. His
beloved wife died September 1 S. 1 ^72, at the a-'e of (.7. lie
followe<l her to the IJetter Land November 2(., 1S7'). They
left survivini^- three sons: John. Stephen and David: and three
daughters: Marg-aret, wife of Hon. Wm. P. J(mes, Lake Crys-
tal; Mary, widow of Thos. D. Liny,!, late of Cambria. Minn.,
and Ann, wife of John L. Harris, of Tracy, Minn. Mr. and
Mrs. Walters were honest. Cod fearinir r'-'"l''<-' -'i"'! f^iithlul
members of Horeb church, in which Mr. W.ilters was an ac-
tive elder from its oru-;inizati. .n until his death.
WAI.TEIIS, STI!:1MII-:N r.om in Jackson county, O., Feb-
ruarv, 1845. Son of John and Ursula Walters. Came to
Blue Earth county, Minn., in May, IS.si,, and soon there-
after locateil in Cambria. r'nlisied in Com])any E, First
Regiment Mounted Rangers of Minnesota, November 7,
ISW, and was mustered out November 11, isr,.",. On Decem-
ber 24, 1863, he re-enlisted in Company IC, Seomd Kei^iment
Minnesota Cavalry, was proiui.ted corporal in 1S(,4, and was
mustered out December 2, 1S(,5. Married Miss Mary Edwards,
daug-hter of Mr. James Edwards of C.nnbria, on June oO, l.s74.
He was a brave and faithful soldier.
AVI(;M':Y, .lOSIlUA— Dorn February 1, 18.^.=., near Llan-
br3-nmair; Montgomeryshire, Wales. Immigrated to Kaciiie.
Wis., in 1S5.5, where he remained two years. He then
moved to Minnesota and soon located on his present farm in
27S THK WKLSH IN BtlNNESOTA.
Judson, Blue ICarlh county. July 2n, 1S(>2, niarric-d Miss Caro-
lin, daug-htcr <il" Win. J. and Uatniali Rnl.orls ul" Judson.
Was one of the Now rini defemlcrs during- the Sioux mas-
sacre of 1S(,2, bein-- a member ot C'apl. llierbauer"s company.
In 1S(..". he eiilisteil in I'ompanv \']. Second Minnesota Cavalry
Volunteers and served two years, until close of war under ( len.
Sibley. In July, lss7, he was appointed to a position in the
state \vci<;-liin,u- department at .Minneapolis, which he held for
a number of years. In IS'i," he retired from his farm to Lalce
Crystal, Minn. Is a member of ihv (1. A. K. po-t at that jdace.
WI<;LI':V, IION. IMCII.MJD-llorn at I'.ron-Derw-Coed,
Llanbrynmair, .Mon tL;-omerysliire. February 14. IS.^.i. S(vn <d'
Joshua and ICli/.abeth i .Morris i Wiijley. He married in IS.^.^,
Miss Mary, dau^'hter of William Williams ( (,-.-ylini Cx/cilotj,)
of Llanbrynmair. ller father was a cousin of the renowned
Revs. Jolin and Samuel Roberts, Manbrynmair. Iter brother,
Richard Williams, is a very jirominent lawyer of Trenewydd.
In 1S.S7 .Mr. and .Mrs. Wi-ley emi-rated to' Racine, Wis., and
in May of the b.llowin- year removed to Judson, Minn.,
where they own a very \;i!uable farm. During- the Indian
attack on lUitternut \'alley on Septendier lo. lsi,2, Mr. WiL;lev
had quite a narrow escape. In ls7<> 7 and s he was County
Commissioner of Ulue Ivirth county and in lss4 was elected to
the State Lei,nslature. Ho is a man of -ood ability and has
always been active in all piddic aff.iirs. He and his "^rocKl
wife are g-iven to hospitalitv and are worth.y memlK-rs of the
Mankato Welsh church. Their children are: Joshua W.;
Wm. W.; Mary E., wife of Hu-h Jones of ^lankato; .Vnn.
wife of Peter Lloyil (d' same place; Richard W.; F.dward W.;
Sarah, wife of IIut,rh K,,iK.rtsof Oshkosh, Wis.; Hann.ah, and
John. :Mr. and Mrs. Wiyley have retired from the farm to
Mankato, where thev have a pleasant li..me.
WILr.I.\>IS. miss" ('L.VI{.\— Horn at Ro^ Wen. Carnarvon-
shire, Wales, her parents being then on an extendeil visit to
their native land. When she was about one ye;ir (dd, her
■ parents, two sisters and herself, all living now, returned to
Kansas, U. S. Her childh.ioil days were spent at Topeka
and Emporia, Kansas, ;ind Columbus and ^Vatertow^, Wis-
consin, and Minneajiolis. Minnesota.' .Vt all of these places
she attended the public schools, and, at .Minneapolis, gradu-
• ated from the Minneapolis High school, an.l took a course' in
" German and French at the Minnesota State I'niversity. lloth
of her parents are from musical families, .iiid her father, J.
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Hiss Clara Williams.
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James (iriffiths.
LATE OF MANKATO, MIN
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Edward Thomas, Sr.
LATE OP SOLTll DEXD, MINN
GROUP OF WELSH SINGERS.
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Mrs. Geo. F. Blossom.
T. R. Daniels.
D. E. Jones.
R. E. Daniel.
WELSH SINGERS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE OF MINNICArOLIS.
I'KK wp;tsn IN MiN'XEsoTA. 279
W. Williams, (lru^-,i;ist. is possessed of tlno musical perception
and taste. She he^-an takin^r lessons on the piano when six
years of aye, and seems to be a natural-born accompanist.
At Watertown she received a few lessons on the violin. At
Minneapolis she took lessons on tlie pi]ie oryfan and in har-
monv. She received vocal instruction for a number of years
from a few of the best vocal teachers at Minneapolis. She
was for a lime orj^'anist of tlie lunanuel liaptist church
there, and afterwanls was the soprano .d the First Bap-
tist churcli and ,d' the Hebrew Syna-"UUe, and, also, oc-
casionallv, of a cliurch in St. Paul. In 1S'»,; she was eng-aged
to sin^- at tlie World's Fair at fhicat,>-o. Mr. Jcdin Thomas,
harpist to tlie (Jueeii (d' ('.rent llritain. heariii- lier there, was
impressed with lier musical abilities and possibilities, and
persuade<l her to return with him to Fotidoii. and enter the
Royal Acaileiiiv of Music tliere. Accordini^-ly. in Seiitember,
ISO;,, they sailed. She passed the ris^id entrance examina-
tion of tliat institution, and liasn,,w spent a year studying"
chietly the \-oice uud.T one (d' the best of living vocal teach-
ers, Signor Kandegger, and also stu<lyin- the piano, liarmony,
elocution anil Italian. At theclosr.if her lirst year she not
only passed the examinations creilit.ibly, but won two bronze
medals, one f.ir singing and one for sii^^lit singing, a thing
quite unusual for a pupil of the lirst vear. (.). M.
WIM.IA.^IS. COltNKLirS-Dornat C.letwr. Penrhos, An-
glesea, in ls:(). lOmigrated to America in is.so and located
at Collinsville, N. Y., where in IS(,1 he was married to Miss
Catherine Lewis. In ISi.i, he removed to , Wis.,
and thence in 1S(,S to lUue Ivirth county. Minn. lie was one
of the first settlers of the Salem neighlM.rhood in lUitternut
Valley. In \\>vU, 1S72, he was choson an elder of this church
and performed the duties of this sacred oflice with exceptional
faithfulness. The Salem i C. M. i church was greatlv indebted
in its infancy to the persevering and eflicient labors and care
of this worthy christian. He died April 1(., ISSI. His child-
ren are: Kichard Williams, ,d' Lake Crystal, and Mrs. Cath-
erine Jones, wife of Kobert F. Jones, of Butternut Valley.
WILLI A.AIS, Ki:V. DAMi: L, 15. A. -Is a son of the late
Rev. John I). Williams, Lime Springs, la. He was ln.rn De-
cember 11, 1S51, in (ireen Lake county. Wis., where he spent
the first fifteen years of his life on a farm near the Proscairon
church. In lsr,r. his father and family moved to Fillmore
county, Minn., where Daniel spent tlie bdlowing four vears.
280 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
In November, ISTO, he left hdino to attend Ripon Colle^-e,
Wis., where he remained two terms. In September, 1S71, he
went to the Normal School, Mankato, :\Iinn., and the follow-
ing- winter tany^ht a school four miles north of I^ake Crystal.
Becoming- acquainted lure with I'^van I'richard (now Kev. K.
R. Prichard, Albany, ( )rci,'-on ) he accompanied him in jMay,
1872, to the Minnesota University, took the classical course
and graduated with the class of '7S: and in September, 1S7S,
entered I'rinceton Tneido^^i^al Seminary, i;raduated with the
class of \S1, and in October of the same year was ordained to
the work of the ministry l)y the Red River Presbyterv, Synod
of Minnesota. Mr. Williams is an ardent admirer of the
Presbyteri.-m church, and his ministerial life thus far has been
spent in her home mission fields- five years in North ]>akota
and eight 3-ears in Northwestern Iowa. It was while he min-
istered to the congregations there that church buildings were
erected at Bathgate and Hamilton in Dakota, and at Esther-
ville and Seneca in low.u 'IMie contract for the beautiful build-
ing at Armstnmg, also, was let while that church was under
his care. < )ctober 10, ISS."^, he marrieil ^Miss Eliza F.. daughter
of Rev. Dr. Ilodgkin, Tonmto, Canada. In April, 1S')2, Mr.
and iSlrs. Williams having lost their only child, a bright little
boy of .^ years, crossed the Atlantic and spent some months
traveling in the Britisli Isles, returning in October of the
same year. Mr. Williams has frecpicntly written to tlie Welsh
periodicals, l)r\rh and <'v/ui//, and occasionally to the Pres-
byterian weekl'ies. He a'lso compiled and edited a Welsh
pamphlet — ''//m/rf /jurciml .\rdiil I 'rn^rairnu \\'hri'u<in" — a
brief historical sketch of an old church anti neighborhood in
his native state.
WILLIAiMS, DAVID . I. —Born at Llan.ldewi Brefi, Cardi-
ganshire, November 2, 1S2S. I^mig-rated to ICdinburgh, Port-
age county, O., in June, 1S51. Moved to Palmyra. Ohio, in
1S52. In July, 1S5.^, came to IJlue ICarth cunty, Minn., and
located on his present farm in Caml)ria. Sejitemlier 2.^, 1S(,S,
married Jane Trcgoning. .d' La Salle, 111. They have three
children: Daniel, Winnie and Mary Ellen. Mr. Williams is a
great reader and takes a very active interest in all imblic
affairs, and is a member of tiie Iloreb C. M. church. He is
kind-hearted, generous ;in<l ]iublic spirited.
AVIL1.I.\>1S. D.WII) .1. ( A'r.^r//;-;-,/)— Born in Cwm Tawe.
Llangyfelach, C.lanmorganshire, Wales. Came to the Pnited
States in 1.S24. After spending one year in New York- City,
rUV. WELSH IN :\riNXKSOTA. 281
he located at Bradford. Pa., where about 1S27 he married
Miss Hannah, daui^'hler of 'IMiomas Thomas, oriirinallv from
Llan On, Carmarthensliire. In June, 1S5?. Mr. Williams(.n
moved with his family t.i Xieollet county, .Minn., beini,'- tlie
first Welsh settler in the old luireka settlement. Tie and his
wife were anioULr the eli;irter memhers id' Salem C'on^-rei,'-a-
tional chureh, when orL;ani/,ed, at Judson, Minn. He died
April 20, 1S(,2. He was a man of an honest, sturdy, reli;;-ious
character. His children are: Jenkin Willi.-Lnis, I'hili]) Will-
iams, Griflith Williams and Th-.s. D. Williams. Two chil-
dren arc deceased: Jcdin Willi;ims and Hannah Williams.
WII.LIA.AIS, I':r,I':M':ZI<:i; i;.-i;,,rn .March (,, 1S47, at
Turin, Lewis county, X. Y. His ])areiits were: .T(din T.
Williams, horn in isu'i in Denhii^iishire Wales, and Hr.nnah,
- whose maiden name was .lones. liorn in ISi;, in Khadnorshire.
Wales. The father emiuTated to .Vmerica in lS,-,S:ind the
mother in IS] 7. 'J'hey were married ;it Kemsen, N. Y.. in
1842. In 1S(,') the f;imily removed to Wauke-an, Hi., and en-
g-ag-ed in f.irmin--. S.mhi .after settlin-- in Illinois, K. ]'.. Wil-
liams commenced to oper.'Ue a cheese faclorv, which occupa-
tion he followed for live years. M WaukeLcan, in 1S74, he
married Miss Au^-usta Fuller, and in is7,s removed to L;in-
sing, Mower county, .Minn., where he still resides on his lari,'-e
and valuable dairy farm of 2*'^^ acres. He has o\vne<l and
operated in connection with his farm a cheese factory for the
past fourteen years. May 1.^, IS'to, he was appointed on the
State Dairy and Food commission, and re-appc^nted in IS'io
and ag-ain in lS'l.5. His home has been blessed witli four
children, three of whom are living'-: Addison, Mary K. and
Augustus S.
AVJLLIA.AIS, EN'AN— Born near Lledrod, Canli<ranshire,
Wales. Emig-rated to the vicinitv of Iloreb. Jackson county,
O., in 1S,",7. In a few years he married Miss Mar-aret,
daughter of Moses Mori^-an. She died in IS.^l, at the aire i>f
31 years. He married ;iirain, a Miss Mary Williams, /'<■/,
Rhcivl, and tliey came to Minnesota with the Jackson colon v
and settled in Juds<in. lie was elected an elder of t'armel
church and served with -reat lidelity. He died February S,
ISSl, and was buried in Minueopa cemetery. His only sur-
viving son is Wm. IC. \Villi:nns , ( ;-.v,lyiii u of .Minneai.olis.
WIMJ.V.AIS, <ilMKl-MTII-i;orn at 1 )y fryn-ar-dyd wu. .Mer-
ionethshire, Wales, November 2.^. 1S22. Son of William and
Jane OVilliams) K'olierts. In lS4.s he marriiMl Miss Catherine
282 THE WKT.SII IN MIXXKSOTA.
Jones, diuig-htcr of John iiiul Ann Jones, of Cwm-inynach,
Merionethshire. lie leMrru'il the stone mason trade from his
father and soon became c|uite jirolicient therein. In the
spring- of 1S4S he emii;Taled to Holland Patent, N. Y., ami
thence to Trenton, X. Y.. where he resided for seven years.
In October, 1S(,5, lie came to Mankato. Minn., where for
many years he fdllowed his usual occupati<ni of stone m.ason
and contractor, and many of tlie jirincipal buildings of Man-
kato are the product of his skill, such as the Normal, Union,
Pleasant drove ami I'^ranklin school houses, the Citizens Na-
tional bank buildiu'^-, and many others. For twenty years he
contractetl the stone w.irk .mi nearly all the principal bridg-es
of Blue ICarth county, lie also superintended for the county
the erection ni the new Klue Ivirlh county court house. In
1872 he removed to his farm in the town of Judson, where he
resided until Xowmber, 1S')4, when he returned to .Mauk'ato
and purchased there a pleasant home. Ilis children are:
Mrs. Jane McD.niald, of Mankato: Mrs. Catherine Willis, .d'
Omaha; Deiinet Williams, df Juds(m: Mrs. Annie Kv;ins,
wife of Ivlw;inl I'.vans, ,,r South llend.
\VJI.LIA.>!S. AiK. AM> .^I IIS. Ill <;il W.— Mr. Williams
was born at IJaiidyrno, 1 ).Mil.i<_;hsh ire, Wales, in 1S24. ICmi-
grated to .\merica in Is.sO rmd located near Kacine, Wis.,
where in IS.st, he nnirried Miss l-"di/.abeth, daug-hter of Owen
and Mary Herbert. Mrs. Williams was born at Carno, near
Llanbrynniiiir, Montgomervsliire, in IS.^o, and came with her
parents to Kacine in is.si. In June, ISsi,, Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
liams removed to South Uend, .Minn., and located on the farm
still owned by the f;imily near the village. Mr. Williams
died September in, IS'HI, leaving survi\ing- his good wife and
four children: Wm. H., lawyer at St. Paul: -lohn W.: I);in-
iel ; Mrs. Jennie Crane; and Mrs. :\Iary Wigley, all of IMue
Earth county. He was ;in honest, conscientious, religious iiniii.
AVll. MAMS, .lOIIN- Son of David J. Williams, born :it
Bradford, P;i., M:irch 2o, 1S40. Came with his parents to
Nicollet c<mnty in June, IS.s.s. iMilisteil in Coinp;iny I, Sixth
Minnesota, Au.^-ust 14, 1S(,2, and served faithfullv with his
reg-iment until his death, which occurred Sei)tember 2, 1S(,4,
at Helena, .Vrk. He w;is :i y,uiim- man of excellent character
and a brave sol. Her.
'VVILLI.V.AIS, l{l':V. JOHN I). Born at Llanllyfni, Carnar-
-narvonshire, W.-iles, S.i.tember 2.s. 1S14. He alteii.h'd the vil-
laire school when a bov, .md lliiished liis educ;ition :it Holt
The wklsh in minnksota. 2S3
Academy, Wroxhiim. When a younii; man he was apprenticed
to learn the carpenter's trade. Kniig-rated to America in 1S45
and worked at bis trade lur a short time at Waukesha. Wis.
He then bought a farm at I'rosi-airon. Wis., and in 1.S47 mar-
ried Mrs. Mary Iliii^-hes, sister of the kite Thus. H. Roberts.
In 1866 he removed with bis f.amily t(< Foreston, la., where be
died October .s. 1SS7. Mr. Williams, like most Welshmen,
was brought nji reli^-imisly from his youth. ^\,s he bad more
than ordinary ability and was well \ersc(l in the Scriptures
and studious, be was invitrd 'ny the C. M. church to the min-
istry, and bcLTan preacliitii:^ i" ^^^'' :^nd continued to iimclaim
the (;ood Tidinirs thereafter with much faithfulness and ac-
ceptance until the end. He was a man of rui^'-i^'cd strenicth
physically, mentally and spiritually. He read much of the
best books and had a retentive memory and an excellent judi;-
"ment of the truth. His stepson. Kev. Kobert W. IIu.i,'-hes, is
in the t'oni,'-rei;-ational ministry, bis son, Rev. Daniel Williams,
is in the I'resbyteri.an ministry, an<l bis son, Wm. W. Williams,
is a member of the low.i Letrisiature.
AVJLLI.\>IS. .lOIIN I'^M-rCIM':!! Was a descendant in
the seventh ^■■eneration of .bdm Williams of I llanmort^-an-
shire, Wales, who advanced funds to Oliver Cromwell in the
conquest of Ireland in li.4'», and who, .after the subjugation of
that island received, from the I'rotector. in return f<ir the aliove
advance, and possilily for milit.ary services, a Lcrant of lands
and settled <>n the s.ame. This was a i>ortion (d' the estate
subsequently known as "The Croves" in Monai;-h;in county,
■where the descendants of the Williams family resided for
nearly 200 _vears. Samuel Williams, the father of J(din
Fletcher, was born at Carlisle, Pa., October K,, 17S(, and died
in Cincinnati. (.)., February ."^ lS.=,o. J. Fletcher was born in
Cincinnati September 2.-. IS.U. ITe was educated at Wood-
ward College in that city and subsequently at the Ohio Wes-
Icyan University, from which institution he s^raduated in the
scientilic department in 1SS2. In 1S5.- he came to St. Paul,
Minn., and for twelve ye.ars was enijai,''ed ;is reporter for the
principal d.iily papers, thus becomini^ well ac((Liainted with
the earl}- histors" of the state and its .prominent men. In lS(i7
he was elected secretary and libr.irian of the Minnesota His-
torical Society, wliich position was in perfect harmony with
his taste and education. He bent all his eneriries to the work
and was marvelously successfid; and his i,^reat ability and
labors in historical research were recojji-nized by his own state
2S4 TIIK WKtSlI IN MINNKSOTA.
and l)y the st.ciotics d' ether states, wlm con rerrcd upon him
many .liidonias. In 1S71 lie was aiipointed by l'i\ si, U'nt ( Irani
a uicml)cr of the rnili'il States t'entennial L'onimission rr<ini
Minnesota. He hehl a number ..f oftiees in the I. O. O. I'\ and
served two terms on the Hoard of Iviueation. T.esides editini;-
thccollecti.Mis (d' the Historieal Sueiety, he published a ••His-
tory of St. Paul and County of Kamsev." Too close ai^plieation
to his duties caused his health to fail in IS'is and he resiMiunl
his position. Tlis death occurre.l April 2'», isos. Able, indus-
trious and accurate, yet oldi^iuL;-, unpretentious and upright,
he was well lilted f..r the w,.rlc he did with such credit to
himself an<l advantaLi'e l<i liislory.
AVILLIAAIS, .lOIIX T. i;,.rii at Kryn Mawr, Monmouth
Kassa, Ilrecoiishire, ^Vales, Mav 12, 1S2S. His j.ari'nts died
when he was 5 years cdd, and sinc<- he was S years (d" niX'' he
has earned his own li^in^-, w<irk-in^- lirst in the coal mines of
Bcauford, Pen-y-cae, an.l 'Prede-.ir. In the sprin-' <A' 1S4S lie
emi!4-rate<l to Keaver Meadow, t'arbou county, Ta., and worked
in the coal mines lor twn summers. Attendetl sclmol at ( lib-
son, Pa., in winter of lS4S-'i and at Wvomim;- Seminarv fnnu
1.S40 to \s.s. Came b. St. Paul in the summer of 1S54, and
after returning,'- to Penns\ l\ania for the winter, came to South
Bend in 1S5<., where he c>pene<l .a real estate ..flice. Was elected
Clerk of the District Court in lsS7 and County Treasurer in
18C1. In 1S(,,; he was .appointe,!, by IF.ni. Wm. Windoni. Sec-
retary of the House Cnmmiltee on Indian Affairs, .at Wash-
ington, which positinn he held until isTii. Was Ser;j;eant at
Arms of the St.ite Senate in bSTo and 71. Was elected .lele-
gate to the Kepublican National Con\enlion in 1S72, and was
appointed Sjiecial Ai;enl (d' the Post Office I)e]>artment the
same year, which jiositiun he held until Julv, IsTs, when he
was appointeil counsel to St. llelleiis, lCnL;lanil. In bssi) he
was chosen one of the presidi'iiti.il electors from .Minnesota.
He is able and active and has been the most successful [M.lili-
cian in Blue Ivirth c.unly. He marrie.l Mary C. Wickersham
in 1S63 ami lias live chihlren. He owns a coiidortable home
and a large business bloidv ;it Mankalo.
WII.M.V.^IS, .lOIIN \\'. T.urn in 1S27. llis parents being
William and Klleil .Tones,, ,f f Jangn,hvala,lr. .\ n-les, a, Wales.
After spell, ling tlu' first tweiitv-bmr y^-ars ,d" his life am, mo-
tile farmers an, I .pi.irrvmeu <>f his native Ian, 1 he ,nibarke,l
b.r .\merica ami seltlcl f,ir a sh,,rt linu- .il I'lici, X. Y., tlun
came to C.uubria, Wis. While he was there he m.irricl Miss
I THK WiaSII IN MINNESOTA. 285
I
I Jane Jones, cl;ui,i,'-litcr ol' IIul-'Ii Jmu-s. Chin v (rors, Pi-iiLrvmis-
j iog-, Ang-k'sca, in 1S55. Tlicy lia<l l.>iir children, of whom
, three are still livitur. lie left Cainhria in ISdS and settled
' at Bristol drove. Minn., and is now a retired farmer. He is a
I g-entleman of L;enial disjiosition and kind-liL-artetl.
AV1LMA31S, JOHN \\-.-i;orn in is;,s in Carnarvonshire,
Wales. ]2miyrated with his parents in lS4t) to Colutnbus,
Wis. After attendini,'- the district school he s]ient a year in
colleg-e at 1 leaver Dam, Wis. His earlv days were spent on a
farm, and he took ^Teat interest in music. In 1S(,(, he was
i elected Secretary of the Welsh Musical Convention of Wis-
consin. The same year he went to Wales and married Miss
Leah D.ivies, .S//,-/. A',/c:.r//. In 1S72 he went to Osag-e City,
Kas., and enir.aLicd in the drug- business. He was among- the
few who started the church there, anil was elected deacon.
After five years he moved to ICniporia. where he was three
I years. Four years were spent between Columbus and Water-
town, Wis., and in 1SS4 he came to .Minneapolis, where he
still conducts a drug store. Ih' has been secretary of the
Welsh church since ISSd. excepting ime year, and has been
the Jeader of the singing for seven years. No one has spent
more time and labor, withiiut any compensation, in teaching-
I music to the young and improving the church sing-ing- than
he. In the local literary societies and Ei>tcddfodaii he has
been an active worker, and he has g-reat skill as a critic of po-
etry and music.
\VILL1A:MS, OAVICN K.— f;.,rn in ls,;4 at a farm called llod-
ferllion, in Llanbeulan ]>arish, Anglesea. When he was .^
years old his parents removed to the rockv hills of Llandru-
g-arn and thence, when he was ,t years obi, to Trelll ISach, in
the same parish, whence he emigrated to the vicinitv cd' Ra-
cine, Wis., in the spring of IS.^7. .Vfter six years he removed
to the neighborh 1 (d^ Cambria, Wis., for aiKdhersix vears.
Thence in ISdS he moved to l-'orestoti. la. ( )wing to his al)il-
ity and special fitness bir the work he w.is soon selected ehler
of the Foreston church. He, also, rendered valuable services
in the S.ibbath school. Missionary Society, Kible Society,
Temperance Society and ever\- gooil work. In ISS.; he re-
moved to Powell, l>ak-. In the fall id' 1SM2 he removed from
his Dakota farm to Lime Springs, where he has built a pleas-
ant home. His strong mental gifts and pleasing lluencN' of
s]>eech m:ike him a natural leader in aiiv community, and
since he has cons,;crated these power-, to christian worl< it
286 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA
causes him to ho omincntiv useful to his i\'Ih)\vs. He comes
of yood stock. His ^-randfiitlKT. ..n lii-, father's sick', was a
preacher in the Wesleyan church, while his maternal -ratiil-
father was a iiroinineiit elder of the C. .M. church, so in him
are united the faitli ni Calvin and works ,,f Wesley.
AVILI.IA.^IS, K. \\ — i;,,rn at Khostrvfan, Carnarvonshire,
Wales, in IS.vS. Son of the late Wm. Williams, ( /'a/// ( \,rl, ),
iin honored elder (d' the churches at Dlue Mounds, Wis., and
Bristol (Irove, Minn. .Mr. Williams was only nine years old
when the family emiiarked for America. They settled lirst
at IJlue Mounds, hi isi,.^ he was married to Alice, dauL;hler
of Mr. and Mrs. Ilu,-li Williams . nrxuiiy, i, ]iarneveld. Wis.,
He isa farmer hvoccuiiatioii. In IS74 he moved to I^on-- Creek,
Iowa, where he spent live years, and in isT'i rem.ived ai;ain
•to Saratoj^a I'r.iirie, where he has been verv successful. A
tew 3-cars aijfo he left the farm on account of his wife's health,
and built him one of the finest residences in Lime Sj-rinj^s.
He is well versed in scriptural knowled^'-e, [)ossessiny a i^rood
tact for jiractical work and always readv to do evervthinir he
can for the church. Jle also takes an active interest in eilu-
cation and his political ]'artv.
WILLIA.MS, TIIO.S. l).-Son ,d David J. Williams, horn in
Pike Township, Bradford count\, I'a.. Fehruarv 1.^, hs.^f..
On the lirst of June, IS.s.s. he came to .Minnesot.a, and located
on a claim a little west of the (dd township of Kureka. Dur-
iny the Sioux war of 1S(.2 he, with ei^-hteen of his neii^dibors,
went to the defence of New Ulm. and was present when the
Indians made their tirst attack on that town. He also served
with a company of minute men in jnirsuit of the Indians,
when they made a raid on the Swan Lake settlers Se]>teiiilier
3, 1S(,2. On March IS, ISi.'i, he married Mrs. Sarah Thomas.
In 1S7(I he removed to a farm in Jmlson. and thence in ISSSto
Lake Crystal, Minn., where he now resides in comfortable
circumstances. Scrupulouslv honest and uiiri','-lit, he is indeed
a Welshman in whom there is no i^uile. He is a worthy dea-
con of the ilajdist church at Lake C'rvstal.
WILLIA.^IS, l)K. LLVSSIvS <;KA\T-i:orn at Chicago,
111., March 24, 1S(,4. His father, Kichard P. Williams, is a
native of Wales, and his mother of Stuben, N. Y., her maiden
name bein,^■, Jane Kowlands. lie moved to Columlius, Wis.,
in 1S70, receiving,'- his early educ.iti..n at the old loi,-- sclioid
house on the hill. In isso lie attended two terms ,d' the
Ili-'h S:lio,d, C.dumbus. Wis., also be-an the study of idiar-
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Wm. J. Jones
Richard Jones.
CAMIIEIA, MISN.
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Uaniel L. Harris.
LAKE CUVSTAL, MINN.
ivid L. Harris.
Thos. D. Willi
LAKE CKVSTAL, M
John Kee
S.
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T. P. Thomas.
Hugh a Roberts
THK WKLSH IxM JIINXKSOTA. 287
macy with tho pioneer ilruyirist. Mr. .1. W. Williams. Camo
west to Minneapolis, Minn., in tlie sprini,'- ol ISS^, workini;-
that summer as drULr elerk. ^\'enl into Uusiness tor hitr.sell' as
a pharmacist January 1. 1SS4. and retired from the dru- busi-
ness in September, IS'):;. ]-:ntered the Minnesota CoUei^e
Hospital in 1SS5, and -rudualed lY-.m the Medicine and Slu--
f,'-ery department of the I'niversiiy in June. ISS'i, and beL^an
the practiceof his ].r,d-essi,,n. He was elected state jdivsidan
of Modern Workmen in IS'O, a p..siii,,n which he still" holds,
and is at present the local e.Naminin- pinsician lor Woo^lmen
and Maccabees, also belon-s to I. (>. R., K. X. A. and K. .d'
P. The subject of this sketch is a brother cd' Dr. K. A. Will-
iams of Olathe, Kas., who is a member of the State Koaril id"
Health, and slate sur-'con for the si.mdin-- army. Incluilin-
- the two doctors, there .are six dru-LriNts in the family
AVll.I.IA.^IS, Ki:V. UILLIA.M-A Kaplist cler-yman,
born at ^lerthyr Tydfvl, Glanniofoanshire, Wales, Jaiuiarv
4, 1SI)(.. At the a-e of 22 years he emi-rale.l to the Tni'tcd
States, and reside<l in Pennsylvania and Mar\ lan.l for twenlv-
scven years. In IS.v^ he was ordained to the ministry by a
conference of the Welsh iJaptist churches .d' Pennsylvania.
In 1S4'J he moved to JJi;,;- Kock, 111., and took cliar;,'-e of the
Welsh and Kn-lish church there. In 1S55 he paid the W^dsh
settlements of IJlue Earth county. .Minn., a visit, and on June
24, at U. C. ICvans' house in South Kend. preached the first
Welsh sermon in the county. In Oct.iber, ni that year, he
moved with his family and located on a farm in Judson, Minn.
Here he preached for a number of years to the Baptists and
CongTe<,rationalists, (the two unitinir in those davs, and Kevs.
Williams and Jenkins j.reachin^- to them alternately. ) In 1S5,S
Rev. Williams or-anized a Paptist church in Judson, which
flourished for some years. He took a very prominent part in
the early history of Judson— in or-jraniziny the township and
the school districts. He was Postmaster and Justice <d' the
Peace for many years. As a preacher he was full of Welsh
fire and well --rounded in the faith. He was twice married.
After the death of his last wife m Ism,, h,. w^.nt to live with
his eldest dauiVhter, Mrs. Tibbetts, at Harrisbur^-, Pa., where
he died of acute cancer on the lip at the <i"-e of s\S year's
AVILL1A.MS,\V.>I. !•:.( ^'.-../Aw . Porn at?)ak Hill",()".,in 1S44.
Son of Evan and Maricaret Williams, who came to Minnesota
■with the Jackson Colony in 1SS(, and located .at South llend.
He received a fair common school education. In 1S(,2, when
2S8 THE WKl.SII IN MINNESOTA.
but IS years of nt^c, lie enlisted in Cunipany K, Ninth Minne-
sota. Volunteers and serve.l witii bravery ami faithlulness till
the close of the war, participating- in all the battles and skir-
mishes in which his regiment was eULjaLied. He was company
clerk and corporal durin- the last year and a half. lie mar-
ried "Miss IClizabelh, dan-hter of .lohn (;. and IClizabeth Rob-
erts of South Hend in lsi,(,. IK- held a tiuinber of town offices
and vvLis enunieralor of the census in issii ;uul IS'tu. In IS'H
he was appointed .issistant state weiiili master, which position
-he now holds for the third year. Has been identitied from his
youth \yith the church: was for many years a member of
Bethel church. Hutternut \'.illey, and is now an useful mem-
ber of the Minne.Lpolis Welsh church. He has. also, been j.ro-
minent in the Welsh literary circles of the state and one of
the sup[iorters of the l\i<-lii( I'tnl from the l)ei;inniii!jf and has
won prizes as a jioet.
WILMA.AIS, \V>I. II. Horn at South Ilend, Minn., June
17, IS.^S. Spent his boyhood days on the farm and attendini;-
the South Kcnd villa-e scho.d. He then attended the Mail-
kato highschoiil ami graduated in ls-^l. .\fterone year spent
at the Chicago rniyersity, he entered the law oftice of Hon.
W. U. Cornish (..f St. Paul in the summer .d' 1SS3. and was
admitted to practice in that city in .luly, 1SS.=^. He remained
at a salary in .Mr. Cornish's oflice until the fall of 1SS<), when
he opened an oftice of his own. In January, IS'if, he formed
a partnership with Hon. Owen .Morris which continued until
December. 1sm2. Since the last date he has been alone hay-
ing- an oflice in Pioneer Press IJuildiTi--, St. Paul. He is of
excellent character and has a .L^ood practice.
WlliLI.V.'MS, \\>l, ,l.-Horn March 17. 1S21, at Llanddewi
Beti, Cardii;anshire. Kmiyrated to Edinburj^h township,
l»ortay-e county, ()., in 1S4'). He was a tailor by trade. In
Ohio he helped David J. Davis operate a saw mili. Removed
to Blue Karth county, Minn., with liis mother, .Mrs. Winni-
fred Williams and two brothers, D.evid J. and Daniel L. Wil-
liams, in 1S.^.=,, and locate<l on the homesle.id in Cambria,
where he <lied May 17, 1SS(>. He took much interest
in public matters, reli_L;-ious and secular. Was impulsive by
nature, yet kind-hearted and for^-iyiny, and ever ready to do
any one — friend or foe — a favor.
WIL1.1.V:MS, IIOX. WILM.V:M \V.— llom in Oreen Lake
county, Wis., October 12, IS,^.;. Son of Kev. John I). Will-
iams. .Moveil with his parents to llri^tol Crove, .Minn., in
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 289
18(.0, and tlience ti) Forestnn, la., in IST.^v In 1S74 he entered
the Minnesota State l'ni\ ersity. and Lrraduated with the de-
gree of A. K. in the ehiss of ISSO. Durini,'- his ecdlei^'e eourse
he tau'fht two terms of school. In issi he was nominated un
the Kepuhliean ticket for CAiunty Superintendent i<{ Schools
and County Sur\eyor. Owing- to the defection of theCireen-
back party at that time, he was defeated hy a small vote for
the first oflice, hut was elected to the latter one. Since that
time he has been enLj-.iLrcd in inillini,'- and farming. In iss,"
he was elected elder .>t the Forestnn church. lie has also
been its secretary lor years and is now, als(.i, its chorister. In
18'»l he was elected to the Iowa Legislature on the Ke]>ublican
ticket, and in IS'l.^ was re-elected. In IS'M he married Miss
Maggie ]■:. K.>berls, of Columbus, Wis. Mr. Williams is a
man of tine ability, culture antl character, and is a power for
good in his coninuniit\.
AVUJJA.^IS, .KMIN It. Horn at Treban farm, Krvn-
gwran, Au-lese.u Wales, in IS.Vi. Sou .d' K'obert and Marga-
ret Williams. Immigrated to .Ymerica in 1S57 and settled lor
a year or two at Waukesha, Wis., thence went to Caledonia,
Wis. In l^i.o he reniosed to l''iliuore county, Minn., where
he still resides. In 1S(,1 he married .Miss Jane Owen, of Cal-
edonia, Wis. Mr. an.l Mrs. Williams were about the first
Welsh settlers in Filmore county. Thev are honest, thrifty
people. Mr. Williams is a liard of some note.
WOODS, ISA.\(' -Horn at Llanidl.,es, iNbintgomervshire,
Wales, aliout 1S14. Son .d Ai)raliam and Sarah Woods. In
18.>(> he nuirried Miss Ann I>a\is and they emigrated from
Wales to Jackson county. Ohio, where the wife died in 1S44.
In 184') he married ag.iin — his second wife being Miss Mar-
garet Evans, cd' Cincinu.iti, ()hio. In is.'^t) he came U> Blue
Earth county, Minn., and located on a farm near Seion church
in South I lend, where he died in September, ISTS. lie was a
very upright and conscientious man. .i faithful and earnest
christian and an elder <A the C. .M. church of Seion. He left
two children sur\i\ing him, namelv: .Mrs. Sarah I'rice, wife
of Rowland W. I'rice, of Judsou, Minn., begotten of his first
wife, and Walter A. Woods, of South IJend, Minn., begotten
of his second wife.
Short Biographical Sketches of Rev. Jos. Roberts'
ninneapolis Bible Class.
BY MR. G. G. JONES.
(KEY TO 11.1,1 s
1!. K. [il.Mlis. K.I.I,.
\V. Wllliai.,-. IJiv. .!..>.
II. T. .M..nif.
JONES, KLIAS I-:.— IJoni Auirust '[?>. ].S(,'), at Llani^Tisl-
iolus, Wales. In IS'to he cmi^rratL-d to America and settled
at Powell, S. U. In lS'i4 he came to Minneapolis. His occu-
pation is a teamster.
JONES, EDWAHD— j;,,rn March (., 1,S(,2, at Portma.lo-,
Wales. In his early days he was a machinist at his lather's
shops. On June 2, 1SS4. he married Miss Lizzie I'rice. They
have three Ijriy^ht, |lr.)lni-^inL;■ little i^-irls. In 1S.'S2 he removed
to Montreal, and in 1.SS4 came to Minneapolis. Mr. Jones is
a promoter of everv t;-ooil cause.
JON ES, H K' 1 1 A It'l ) E.— 1 ;, .rn November 1 8, 1 874, at Cambria,
Wis. For a number of years he worked on his father's farm.
In 1893 he came to Minneapolis where he learned the plumb-
ing' trade. He is of unblemisheil character and is hiL,'-hly es-
teemed in the Welsh church, where he is a faithful attendant.
JONES, (.1 in EEITII <;.— r.orn April 25. ]S7o, at (laerwen.
North Wales. In ISS'i he came to this country and settled at
Powell, S. D. Two years later he came to Minneapolis and
has since lieen with R. K. Howell I't Co., as credit man.
(While in Dakota he attended Re<l field college, and since has
spent one 3'ear at Kipon collei;e, Kipon, Wis. He is a fluent
speaker, and has been studying,'- for the ministry. He is the
president of the Welsh C. E. society, i— En.
JONES, JOHN E,— A brother of Elias Jones. Born March
6, 1871, at Llunyristiolus, Wales. In 18')3 he came to this
city with his sister, Lizzie. He is employed at the store of
K. K. Howell ^ Co.
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THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 201
JONES, JIl., lY. X — Born at P.jrtmadc.-, Wales. Dcccmhcr
3, lSf)6. When comparatively voun;,'- he learned the machin-
ist trade at his father's shops. In 1SS2 he emigrated with his
parents to America, and settled at Montreal, where he worked
at his trade. Since then he has traveled quite extensively,
and has accepted positions at Denver, Col., Portland, Ore.,
and Seattle, "Wash. In 1S'»1 he came to Minneapolis and was
for some time in partnership with his father in a blacksmith
shop. He also operated a General Supply and Commission
business. His services at the "Welsh church have been valu-
able. He is now at (ireat Falls. Mont.
MOKKIS, (). T.— Horn at Liverpool, October 2f., 1S<.S. When
5 years old, he removed with his parents to Dolyelly, Wales-
Received his education at the Board and (Grammar schools oi
native country and Liver])ool institute. He was emi)loyed for
live years at the North and South Wales Bank, and became
thoroui^hly aci|uaiiited with bunkiuLT. In iS'to he came to
this countrv and settled first in St. Paul, and afterwards at
Minneapolis. Is now employed as book-keejier. He is a com-
petent sint,''er, and faithful worker in the Junior C. K. societv.
3I()KI{IS, K. K.— Korn July .^l^ 1871, at Liverpool. When
he was 2 years old, his parents movetl to Dol-elly, Wales. In
188'^ came to this country and settled in St. I'aul, and sh()rtly
afterwards moved to Minneapolis. He occupies a position of
trust as a steno<j;-rapher at the Ctimmercial Bank of St. Paul.
He is a talenteil youni,-- man, and his future prospects are very
briyhl. He is prominent in the Welsh C. IC. society, and in
1S")4 v.-as its president.
THO^IAS, OWKN— Horn May 14. 18(p3, at Llanerchvmedd,
Wales. His early days were spent on a farm. Came to this
country in 1SS4. Is a carjienter, and is employed at the car
shops of the C, ^L \- St. P. Ky. Co. In 1S'I2 he was married
to Miss Kate (Iriflith.
AV1LLI.\31S, T. EVKIJI-yrT— Son of -Mr. David P. Williams,
Dawn, Mo. Was born September 2S, 1S(,7. In 1S'»1 he came
to Minneapolis, and has since learned the machinist trade.
"\VILJJ.\:>IS, <JE(). AV \Unn February 22, IS.^S. at Porta-e
Prairie, Wis. l"'or a number ni years he was in I'akota, and
in 1SS2 came to MinneaiM.lis. He married Miss Sarah Owen,
Cambria. Wis., and has one child. He is the or!>:anist of the
Welsh church.
BIOGRAPHIES NOT LISTED BY HISTAKE.
KK'IIAKDS. OWEN E. ( .iA/r<.;7/ ;-;,■//;- Born in Dvfrvn
Anludwy, Merionethshire. July 5, 1S.=,(). S..nol" Thos. J. and
Miirg-aret Richards, late i,i IJutterniit \'allcy, Minn. The
family eini^rrated to Aineriea in IS.^1 and settled first at Hol-
land Patent, X. Y., then at I'r.iseairon, Wis., wlienee in 1S(,7
they removed to a larni in the vieinity ol Hethel ehurch, lUit-
ternutA'allev. July4, ISTS, he married Miss Sarah IC, dau-Ii-
tor of Rev. David F. Jones late of LeSueur county. In No-
vember, 1S.S4, he removed to Mankato and en.!.;-a;,'-ed in the
grocery business until his death on March .s. IS'13. lie was
thoroughly lumest, conscientious and reliLTJons. A Warm-
hearted friend .uid a loyal, faithful servant of Christ and His
church. He was a leadin-- elder of the C. M. church for
years. He was also a v<'tron ,,f literature and a fre([Uent
contributor to Welsh papers.
JOXKS, D.W'll) J — Horn in Jelierson township, Jackson
county, ()., September IS, ISSo. His parents, Thos. J. and
Elizabeth Jones i Coo/^rr ) , emigrated from Cardiyanshire,
Wales, in 1S4S. In 1SS(. the family came with the Jackson
colony to Ulue Earth county, Minn., and located on a farm in
South IJend. The father, who was a verv jirominent eliler of
the C. M. church, died June 12, isTo. David married in
May, 1S7:^, Miss Mary, dau-hter of the .dd C. M. elder, Wm.
J. Roberts ( Ore/-), and his wife Anna. In 1S')2 Mr. ami Mrs.
Jones retired from their farm to the citv (d' .Mankato. Thev
are a very worthy ouple and faithful members <d' the Welsh
church. In 1S'»4 Mr. Jones b.rmed a iiartnership with K. 1).
Jones in the martde business.
31()SICS, niA. .JOIIX-dloni in Monmouthshire, Wales. His
early life was spent in the vicinity ,)f Rhvmni ami Trede-.ir,
where he obtained his elementary educ.ition. (.'ircumstances
soon obliged him, however, to work in the coal mines and he
followed a ccdlier's occupation while in Wales and b.r some
years in America. He did not, however, ne-lect those twi>
THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 2').i
•greatest oikuational institutions ot the Wolsh: The Siimlav
School anil the Youni^- Tcople's nieetinL,--. In IsSd he married
a youni;' wotnan ol Llani,''enach. L'arniarthenshire, and the
same vear emi^Tated to Carhondale, Pa. In 1S54. at the re-
quest of the C. M. ehureh at tlie latter place, he heu-an to
preacli, and Sei.teinl.er 2S, ISt.ii, at the Syno<l of the C. M.
church, held at IMttston, I'a., he was ordained to the full
work of tile ministry. He ministered at C'arhondale and \icin-
ity until lS(,,v, when he removed to Weatherslield. ().. and
thence to Xewhuri;-. ( >. In ISi.i, he went to Alliance, O. ;
thence in 1S(,S to New.ark, ().: and three years later he had
char<,'-e of the church at Niles, (). The vear 1S7.^ he spent
traveling- in California and llritish Columlda. ( )n his return
he took charijfe for si^ven years of the churches of Waterville,
Soar and Seion in Waukesha countv, Wis. In iss,; li^
accepted a call to the (.". M. church of Minneapolis. :\Iinn. In
1SS5 he visited Wales and in issi, he went to minister to his
last chari^-e, at Ticatonica, Wis. He died at the hospital in
Chica<j-o, April 21. IS'ii, in his (.(.ih year, leaxinLT sur\i\inLr
his'wifo and live children. He had much natural ability .and
was verv faithful and successful as a i)astor. Ilis christian
Rjiirit was most excellent.
,l()?sKS, ll\A. KICIIAKI) F. Korn at IJanhedr, Meri<m-
ethshire, Wales, .about lS2s. Son of Kichar.l ami Sarah
Jones, and a brother of the late Kev. I). V. .I.nies, id' Le Sueur
count}-. ric eniig-rated to Utica. N. Y.. in 1S51, where he
married Miss Elizabeth, dau^rhter n{ Hu-h .lones, of Holland
Patent, X. Y. He removed to Constableville. X. Y., where
he C(jmnienced to preach. He ministered to the fcdlowinL,--
churches successi\'ely in New York: Prospect, Trenton, H(.)l-
land Patent and Sunduskv. hi 1S72, while on a \-isit to the
Welsh settlements >>i IJlue ICartli county, he accepted a call to
the Mankato Seion and Carniel churches, which he serve. 1 for
five years. He then spent a year in Wales ])reachini: with
irreat accejitance. On his return in I SS2 he accepted ;i call t.)
the C. M. church <d' Scranton. Pa., where he labored with
much success for ten years. While there his beloved wife
died. His next move was to his presi-nt chanj^'e ne.ar K.m-
(lolph, AVis. He is an able preacher, and an excellent chris-
tian man. His livin- chiMivn are: Mrs. S:irah Woo.j.of
Mankato; Kichard !•'.,. d St. WUt: Evan l'\,.d St. Paul; .bdin
r.,uf .Mankato; .\Jts. Libbie Mor^^-an, of neiir Kund.dj.h, Wis.
APPENDIX.
The Dakota Tribes at the Bend of the Minnesota
and Their Names of Places.
BY DRS. A. L. RIGGS AND J. I-. WILLIAMSON.
In response to letters sent to Rev. A. L. Riggs, D. D., princip.il of the Snntee
Normal Training School at Santee Agency. Neb., and to Rev. John P. William-
son, D. D., nt Greenwood, S. !>., n-arding the Indians and their names of ^.l.ices
in the region of the Gnat Bend ,,l the Miimesoi,,, wr received the follouing
most interesting and valnaMe matter. No hetlir aulln.nty on the points covered
can lie fonnd than Ihesf two worthy men, u ho h.i\r spent their lives among our
Sinus Indians. Tiny are sons of th,' renowned Sioux missionaries Dr. S. R. Riggs
and llr. T. S, Williamson.
LlCTTI'lK OI" DR. A. L. KIGliS.
Mih-k-iik-to means Rlne Earth, The place where the Indians procnred
"blue earth " was n.sir the mouth of the Blue Earth and as I understand they
named ilii' stream from that as well as the particular place.
Miinienpn is a name manufactured by wliile men. The nearest Dakota word
is Minnenonpa meaning two waters. But I do not Unow that (hey ever called the
twin falls that.
ir)Y(7/(« is more correctly spelled Wa gha-oju. The '/// is a guttural. It
means Cottonwood grove, or literally Cottonwood planting.
Swan Lake was Miujn Tunln. Mi/c.
The spelling "Merah" is an oM sp.-lling when "r'' was used for th.' guttural
yh which we noK write with a marked ■■</.■' The word is Mi(k<ih<ihrhiitk(ih.
The ■•),'■ is nasal.
Rev. John B. Renville of whom yon speak is still working as a pastor of one
of our Indian churches at Sisseton Agency, a useful christian w<irker, univer-
sally b.l,n,-d.
V,>u are certainly right in your estinial,. of the important inllurnce of llie
missin,,;M-v work iu restiMiniie.; manv,,r the p,.,,ple from JMOiin- in i h- ..llll„■,.,d^-
a^d 111 seriiiM, : l.mdn.atinent and linal drlnrrance for many eaptives.
S.ml.i A-,iuy, Nrl,.. Maicii i.,, 1.S05. A, L. Kioos.
THK WKLSII in MINNESOTA. 295
LETTIvK OF DK. J. P. WII.l.l AIMSOX.
When the country around Mankato was settled forty years ago, the Indians
living in that region gave tlie following designations to the prominent points :
1. Oujiliwijii (The Crossing.) This was Travers des Sioux (near St. Peter.)
It was so called because it was the point at which all the travel from Ft. Snelling
and the east, crossed the Minnesota river; from which point the travel was up the
north side of the Minnesota river passing Swan Lake. And Traverse had been
occupied for many years previous as a trading post by Provencal and otliers.
2. J)/'a)/((.s-(//j((, (Black Banks.) The mouth of the Blue Earth river. It was
not called by the Indians M.inkato. its present name.
3. Mukalo-oxc (Blue Earth diggings ) The name of the Blue Earth river.
This is evidently what the town Mankato took its name from.
4. Ma-ij/iU-/(ni-l.il Ola (Many Swan.) The name of Swan Lake.
5. Wit, (jlin iiJh (Cottonwood groves. ) This name seems to have been applied
to both the Big and Little Cottonwood rivers.
C. Kiih-Vlin (The Bend.) This was the general designation for the country
around Mankato, as far as St. Peter, Swan Lake and Cambria Creek.
7. The Minnesota river they called Wali kpii J/iiiHcsnta, "The river of sky-
tinted water."
The Siciux tribes have been drifting for 500 years from the Nortlieast to the
Southwest. Tlu-ir oldest traditions show that they lived around L.ike Superior.
Two hundred years ago the Yankton Sioux were about Mankato. One hundred
years later they had gone Soutliwest into what is now Dakota, and their place was
taken by Wahpetons and Sissetons. Before that country was open for white set-
tlement the Wahpetons h.ad mostly gone further up the Minnesota and the Sisse-
tons were the principal crcupants, with a fi;w from the bands further east. Fifty
years ago there were two leading bands of Sisseton Sioux in that region.
1. Red Iron's band, called by the Indians Kiih. min (iliiniiie, "Those who
live in the Bend,'' liveil at different points on the Minnesota river, both above
and below Mankato. Their headquarters was at Traverse, but I think most of
the Indians about South Bend belonged to Red Iron's band. ,Vnd the .SV.ics' whom
you speak of I think were '"Mdewakanton" Sioux who had lately come in from
Little Six's band, who lived about Shakopee (Six.) Then there were some Wah-
pe-koo-tay Sioux who had come over from about Faribault. Their hepd chief was
Red Legs. Who "The Friend" was that lived at Judson I do not know.
2. Sleepy Eye's band of Sissetons had their headquarters at Swan Lake.
Their Indian name was Sli.eilo. (Prairie Chickens.) It was some of this band
who lived at the mouth of the Big Cottonwood, and I suspect at Judson. too, but
don't know. Their chief was ir>7i<((-/ti!i^/ (Sleepy Eye.) He died before the mas-
sacre, was a good friend of tlie whiles. Red Iron was also a good man, but many
of his band were wild After they left the Bend they settled a few miles above
Granite Falls. A majority of his young men were active in the massacre, and
after Gen. Sibley routed the Indians at Yellow Medicine they lied to Manitoba
where they still are. Sleepy Eye himself h.ad nothing to do with the massacre.
Was removed with the remnant of his tribe to Sisseton .Agency where he died
about 1S70. Has one daughter living.
Sleepy Eye's band moved first to Sleepy ICye Lake. After the massacre they
scattered to Sisseton A-ency, Devils Lake .ni.l elsewhrre.
Thi- Sixes as a b.ind were prob.ibly the worst Indians in the m.issacre, tlu'Uuh
I know nothing particular .ibout those who lived around the Bend. The duel
296 TlIK WKI.SII IN MINNESOTA.
Litl'.e Six uas hung with Medicine Hottle at Ft. Snellirm about a year after the
massacre. The majority ol this Ijand are in Manitoba — a few at Santee Agency.
Nebraska, and elsewhere.
I can vouch for tiie fact that none of the Kenvilles had anything to do uith
the massacre at Butternut Valley. Indeed, there is no proof that any Indian who
had professed the Christian reli.gion previous to 1S62 had any connection witli any
of the massacres of that year At that time there were less than two dozen Indi-
ans who professed to be christians, and the few men who made themselves noted
for befriending thew-hites were nearly all from those two dozen. For instance:
John Otherday. Simon Anawagmani and Lorenzo Lawrence.
The revival in the prison at Mankato was a very xvonderful spiritu.il awaken-
ing. The truth which the missionaries had preached for twenty years and wliich
seemed to have Ijeen cast upon the hard rock, there sprang up like Jonali's gourd
in a night, but unlike the gourd, much of the fruit remains to this day. Nearly
every one of tlie 300 (about tliat number) were baptized, and most of them united
with the Presbyterian church that my father. Rev. Thos. S. Williamson, organ-
ized in prison. .V few preferred to imife with the Catholic and Episcnpnl churclies.
Of this number probablyabout fifty an' still living and are mostly faithful tn tlieir
profession. Two are ministers. Kcv. .Xrtimis IChnaniani, of Santee .Agency. Neb.,
and Rev. Louis Maz.awakiny.mna ..f Sisseton .\gency Another, K.\. H.ukI
Greycloud, died a few years at;.->. M.iny others are still br.iring ollu( as elders or
deacons in our churches.
Greenwood, S. D., April, i.s.,5. John P. Wii.i.fAMsoN.
ADDITION.AL ACCOUNT OF THE SIOUX WAR.
Release of the White Captives. Arrest, Trial
and Execution of the Indians, Etc.
BY THOMAS HUGHKS.
At the time of the battle of Wood Lake mentioned on page 100. the
Indians h.id over 100 white women and children held as capti\es. M.id-
dened by their defeat the hostiles would hue sl.ui-htered all of these, had it not
been for the wise and heroic ellorts of llie (;iiri-.tian Indians. By judicious man-
agement they secured possession of nearly .ill these captives anil then, through
one of their principal men, P.iul Maz.ikootaniane, whose oratory, wisdom :inil
bravery m.ade him a power in the Inili.in councils, they arrangt^d to surrender the
captives and themseKes and all other Indi.ins who were opposeil to the oulhre.ilv.
and therefore had taken but small part in it, lo Cen. Sibley. In accord.inci- with
and hoisting :i white t1:ig over lluir ramp, tluv surrendered to Gen. Sibl.y on the
afterno.m of September -•(. There were 01 pure whiles and iie.irly 150 h.df-
THF: WELSH Ilvr MINNESOTA. 2'»7
breeds released at this camp -called trcim this fact. "Camp Release." The whites
were mostly comely young women and Rirls. whose lives had been spared only
that they mif;ht minister to the lusts of the savages. For six weeks they had been
subject to every outrage and indignity, which savage nature could conceive. Many
had hardly any clothing, though the Christian Indian women had given them all
they could spare from their own scanty wardrobe. Their pitiable condition and
their joy at being released from their (iendish tormentors made a most alTecting
scene. More captives were soon brought in until by October 3, there were 107
whites and 1C2 half-breeds, making 269 in all released. The horrible treatment
these while prisoners had received, and the terrible tortures and mutilations which
had been inflicted on men. women and children, had made the whites desperate
and they thirsted for vengeance and did not believe there was a good Indian in
the country. Most of tho^c who had surrendered were suspected of having been
implicated in the massacre. Gc-n. Sibley, therefore, caused 425 of those suspected
to be arrested and placed in chains, and a military court created at once to try
them. This court was composed of Col. Wm. Crooks, of the Sixth regiment. Col.
Wm. R. M.arshall, of the Seventh regiment. Captains Grant and Bailey of the
Sixth regiment, .and r.ieut. Olin, of the Third regiment. Hon. Isaac V. D. Heard,
an attorney from St. Pavil, acted a.s recorder for the court.
The court began its labors at Camp Release on September 30, and after con-
victing twenty-one adjourned until October 16, to allow the Indians time to come
in and surrender tlu-mseKes. After disposing of 120 cases the camp and commis-
sion moved tn the Lowi-r .\gency on October 23. In all 425 were arraigned and
tried, and of these jai were convicted. Three hundred and three were sentenced
to be hung and the rem.-iining eighteen to various terms of imprisonment. With
the terrible prejudice then evisting in the minds of our best men against Indians
and the summary haste of the trials (from twenty to forty-two being disposed of
in a day), there was iittle opportunity for an Indian to escape. Our modern
courts take as long to try one murderer as that court spent in trying 425. Ou No-
vember 7, the military commission having finished its work, those acquitted to-
gether with the squaws and papooses, were sent to Fort Snelling, where they were
kept all winter. The convicted ones were chained together and loaded into wagons
and carried to Camp Lincoln, which was located in the present fairgrounds in
West Mankato A number nf our Welsh people helped to transport these con-
victed Indians. T. M. Pugh, with his fine team of gray horses, led the van, and
David j. Williams, David Price, Hugh R. Williams and about half a dozen other
Welshmen were in the procession. At New Ulm a mob rushed upon the Indians
with clubs and stones and in spite of the efforts of the military to protect them, a
number of the bra\es in Fiigh's wagon were injured. The German women, whose
relations had bern murdend by the savages, were specially furious in this attack.
The train, which, between the Indians and the military, reached over a mile
and a half in length, passed through Cambria Sunday afternoon, November g. The
settlers lined the road to see them pass, and Mrs. David Price was not the only one
who eased her minrl by giving the dusky rascals a good lecture appropriately em-
phasized by a vigorous shaking of the fist and head.
It was Gen. Sibley's intention toexecute at once the 303 sentenced to be hung,
but the r. liijii.iis sentiment of the east was so shocked by the idea of hanging so
many hnni.in lwinv;s at once, especially in view of the provocation they had for
the ontbr.-.ik, thai Tresident Lincoln w.-is induced to interfere and order th.it nom-
29S THIC WKI.SH IN MLNNKSOTA.
other work Pres. Lincoln carefully and conscientiniisly examined each case per-
sonally and selected forty, wliom the evidence tended to show had been guilty of
individual murder or outrage, and sentenced them to be hung. Tin- people of
Minnesota, however, were greatly incensed at the president's interference and in-
sisted on all being hung.
There was much t.ill; at JIankato, New Ulm and other places of lynching and
companies of the citizens were formed cmce or twice for the purpose, but they were
restrained by the military. When we retlect that two out of the forty selected by
the president as the worst were proved to be wholly innocent and how the others
' were converted in the great revival, which had even then started in prison and
nearly all became true, noble, christian men, we must admit that the judgment of
the president and of the good people of the east, was best after all. The fact is,
as Dr. Riggs says, the most guilty fled with Little Crow to the British Possessions
and their survivors are there to this day. With few exceptions it was only the
innocent and least guilty who voluntarily surrendered to Gen. Sibley. Among
those sentenced to be hung was Roh'r-rt Hopkins Chaskay, a young Indian thirty-
two years old, an elder in Dr. Wi1li.mis(m's church, who^e wife, Sarah, was also ;i
devoted Christian. Me had at the risk of his own life, helped Dr. Williamson
and his family and the other while people at the Upper Agency to escape. He
then out of curiosity had gone doxsn to see what the Indians were doing at Fort
Ridgely and New Ulm and hail shot an ox for food. To allay suspicion on iIk:
part of the hostile party that he was helping the whites he had said; "I have
killed." (Without saying what). These words were repeated by some one against
him in his absence, to the military commission, and they construed the words to
mean that he had killed a human being and sentenced him to be hung. Every
effort to save him failing, Dr. Williamson's daughter. Miss Sarah ]., wrote a per-
sonal letter in his bihalf to President Lincoln and this .done saved him froni the
gallows. God. it si.-ems, had a great work yet for this man to do.
On December 6. President Lincoln sent the names of the other thirty-nine
doomed men with the order fixing the date of their execution for December 19.
It was discovered that there was not sufficient rope at Mankato for the purpose
and the president, on request, postponed the execution to December 2G. The Sun-
day before the execution an old man named, "Round Wind," was converted in
prison and baptised. He did not then know his name was on the list of those to
be hung the following Friday. Next day when Dr. Riggs and Major Brown ware
sent into the prison to identify tliedonmed men and inform them of the president's
order "Round Wind" was found to be among them. He had been convicted on
the testimony of a German boy who had pointed him out as the Indian who had
killed his mother. An investigation soon proved beyond a doubt that the boy was
mistaken. Round Wind was miles away when his mother was killed. To a
stranger Indians are much alike in appearance. Round Wind's pardon was only
received a few hours before the execution. The old man always attributed his
rescue to the direct intervention of Providence.
On the approach of winter the Indians had been removed from Camp Lin-
coln to a three story stone building, known as the Leach building, in jM.inkato.
Its capacity had been increased by the erection of a large log shanty beside it.
The doomed men were put into a room by themselves on Monday. About three-
fourths selected, on the advice of the half-breed, Cambell, who was a Catholic,
Father Ravaux, of St. Paul, as th.-ir spiritual adviser. The rest chose Dr. Wil-
terpreter. The scallold was erected across the street Ironi the prison, about where
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THK Wl'.I.SII IN iMINNl'.SOTA. 299
flow stands the Northwest-rn depot. An immense concourse of people gathered
to witness the execution. The mUit.iry torme.l in a square about the scaflold and
two lines uere drawn from the pris.,n door t„ the scaflold steps, between wh>ch
the Indians passed onto the scaflold. With savage bravado they danced and sung
their death song, ttntil the drop fell. Pavid ]. Davis and W. J. Duly had both
applied for the privilege of cutting the rope which held the drop. It was accorded to
. Mr Duly, whose three children had been foully murdered at Lake Shetek, and
whose wife and two other children had suflere.l the horrors of Ind.an captivity.
At three taps of the drun, llu- drop fell and thirtv-eight human beings dangled ,n
air on one scaflold. In hall au hour they were cut down and buned in one arge
grave dug in the sand on the river bank. Before the next morning most of the
bodies had been exluuue.l and carried ol, by medical men The following Sun-
day Dr. Riggs preached to the remaining prisoners out in the prison yard. Three
hundred dusky warriors, heavily laden with chains, standing in that court yard in
the freshly fallen snou listeuin., intently to the preacher's words is a picture wor.
• t's skill. Through tlie elU.rts of Kol.ert Hopkins and Peter Big Fire,
val cont
thy an
anotherelderinDr. Williamsons church, the religion
t'l in February it culnrnnl.rl in .i rejnlar Pentecostal tune, and Di. William-
"soVand Kev. Hicks, the Pre.bM.rMU minister at Mankato, baptised and received
into the church nearly 3.- '.t them ,n ,.ne dav. That their conversion was genu-
ine their after lives fully demonstrat.-,l. The prison was transformed into a
school room and books were in great demand P,efore spring most of these con-
demned men had learned to read an 1 ■
Ft. Snelling, and many were there coi
the snow this winter almost everv hum
the Mankato prisoners.
In the spring of i.Hi'13 these prisoners were taken down
to Davenport. I.a. As they were passing St. Paul they sung
hymns to the tune "Old Hundred:'
rhi- revival spread to the camp ;
Williamson walked throug
jme in St. Peter to preach I
They were confined in a military prison at Davenport until the spring of tSf,6,
when the survivors were sent to their new agency ,n a barren district of Nebraska,
where a small remnant still survive. , . „ ,• „
In the spiiu' of isr,^ the Winnebago-; were removed from their Reservation
in Blue Earth coiintv to Pakota and thence to Eastern Nebraska where they now
reside There were i.S^o of them and they were taken down the Minnesota in
boats-the las, of them embarking May iS, 18,^3. I" March, rSoj. Congress
made an appropriation of S20o,ooo towards paying the losses sustained by the
citizens of Minnesota in property confiscated and otherwise lost by reason of the
Sioux war. A commis.ion consist ng of Aldrich of Minnesota, Potter of Wiscon-
sin and White of Indiana, was ap,, „.,,cd to receive and determine the claims,
mmer at St Peter, Mankato and South Bend. In all 2.)P
niing to *^, 000,000, of these $1,350,000 were allowed. It
• money appropriated to pay the claims allowed in full, so
nt themselves with a small per cent
iry posts were erected .all over the frontier and expeditions
tile bands under Little Crow. In the fall of 1SC2 Pane's
Ih
y met duri
ng t
cla
ms were fil
ed
wa
impossiblt
wi
the
people hac
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During I
SG3
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ren
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il spring.
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illage,
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hey bu.lt
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Th
rty men of Co
-'■'"J THE WKLSIf IN MIXXKSOTA.
pany K, of Ninth Minnesota, were tuiartereil in Iloreb church, Butternut Vnllev,
from February to May, 1S63. The church not being lar;,'e enou,!;h, a lonq shed
was erected in the rear and John Rres' residence moved and joined .to it" for a
kitchen. All the men in the western counties ware or^anizeil into a state militia
and provided with military guns, eciuipment and ammunition.
South Bend and the east half of Judson formed Companv E, Twentieth regi-
ment. Third brigade, First division. Minnesota State Militia, "and the west half of
Judson and Butternut V,dley wre Company F of the same regiment, Tlie
ofTicers, commissioned February 7, iSO^, were. Company E— Capt., B. V Colhn;
First Lieutenant, D. L). i:v.ms: Second Lieutenant, Edward Jones. Company F
—Captain, Jenkm WiHi.inis; First Lieutenant, David J. Williams; Second Lieu-
tenant, David J. D.ivi-,, Jr. In the fall, David J. Williams resigned his coTumis-
sion to go to Illinois, anrl K. H. Hugh.'s was elected to fill the v.acancy. Evan
Jones (Indiana) was al.so commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Twenty second
regiment in Brown county, on F<bruary 3, iSfjj. September 23, i.sr.j, Hnn. D.
C. Evans was commissioned Brig.idier General on the stall of Major General
Stephen Miller.
In spite of e\ery precaution. Indians in small s^iu.i.ls would mak..' fre.juent
raids into the settlem.ents to steal horses, killini; whn,.ver they met, durin;,- isr,3-.,
and 5. When on one of these raids Little Crow w.as kill.-d July j. i.sr.j, by n set-
tler, named Lampson, three miles north of Hutchinson.
The chief and one of his sons had come down to the settlements with a horse
stealing party. They had become separated from the others and were picking
raspberries in a small clearing in the timber when Mr. Lampson and his son came
upon them. Mr. Lampson fired hrst and hit Little Crow in the shoulder. Mr.
Lampson's son then fired and gave the chief his mortal wound. Little Crow's son
fled into the timber. Mr. Lampson ran towards Hutchinson, while his son tarried
a moment to load his gun and get closer to where the Indian fell to see if he was
dead. Just then Little Crow's son returned to where his father lay and got some
w?'er for him and ministered to him for about h.alf an hour.uhen he did. Young
Lampson was hid in the brush close by and might have shot the son, but in his
excitement he h.id put two loads into his gun at once and did not dare lire it. \
squad of Dane's Company then stationed at Hutchinson went out after Little
Crow's body and buried it. John Edwards, of Judson. John J. Jones (cooper)
and two or three other Welsh bo>s were in the s.|uad. Little Crow's son was cap-
tured about ten d.iys later by some scouts on the Dakota line.
September 23, 1863, Wm. J. Williams, of Cambria, claimed he saw an Indian in
the woods on his farm as he was goingafter cattle in the evening. The militia were
called out and scoured the woods next morning but found n,,thinc'. There uere
rumors of Indians at Bull.ilo Gr.ive. at Geo. Owens' house and divers other places
during 1SO4 and 1SI15.
May 2, i8t'i5, the whni,. country was thrown into the wildest excitement by
the murder of the Jewett family on section 33 of Rapidan About six o'clock
that morning while the family were at breakfast six or sever Indians entered the
cabin and killed the entire family consisting of A. J. [ewett and wife, his father
and mother, and a hired man named Chas. Taylor. Mr. and Mrs, Jewett's little
child was tomahawked and left for dead but afterwards recovered. The house
was ransacked and J400 in money and some clothing taken. That afternoon a
half breed named John L. Campbell c.dled at the house of John A. Jones (Ford)
in South ISend for a glass of water. His actions were so peculiar that Jones at
once suspected him and calleil the attention of 3 Mr. Dodge to him and they at
THK WELSH IN MINNESOTA. 301
once arrested Campbell in the rorul as he was leaving and took him to Mankato
and lodged him in jail. He told contradictory statements about himself and the
people were soon satisfied he was one of the murderers, A pair of lady's hose
was found on his feet and a lady's pocket handkerchief, with the corner where the
name had been stamped cut off, was found in his pocket. These articles with the
rest of his clothing; were taken out that night to where the Jewetts had lived and
identified as their clothiof; by friends. Next morning, when these facts were
known, a mob of 400 to 500 people surrouuded the jail, the prisoner taken out,
a court martial convened with S. F. Barney as judge and John A. Willard as pro-
secuting attorney, a jury of 12 men was impanelled and a trial had in the open
air just where the pn-senl new court house stands. The trial was a farce, how-
ever, for the mill) had the rope ready and were determined to hang him anyway.
The jury could not agree and Hnally brought in a verdict recommending that he
be held to the next term of court. The mob was wild. They got a rope about
hii neck and ag.iinst the protests of the few dragged him to the southeast corner
of the court house scptare where was a convenient tree, hustled him into a wagon,
tied a rope to a limb of the tree and pulled the wagon from under him bui they
had neglected to tie his hands. The wagon was shoved back and he was let down
into it. The Catholic priest managed to have a few words with him, while his
hands were being tied. He sent a message to his mother, a mixed Sioux and Me-
nomonie squaw who then lived at Traverse, He, also, told where he had hid in
his cell l?joo in money, which probably was part of the Jewett plunder. Camp-
bell was 32 years old, of very dissolute habits and had a bad record. He
had been a soldier and had deserted. His brother, Baptiste Campbell, was one of
the thirty-two Indians executed at Mankato in 1S62. But, while this half-breed
was being hung, another Indian half-breed, John B. Renville by name, was being
ordained to the work of the ministry by the Presbyterian Synod, just then in ses-
sion at the I'resbyterian church a block and a half away. Dr. Williamson had
preached the opening sermon of the Synod the evening before the Jewett murder
and had dwelt somewhat at length on the wrongs done the Indians. His words
were true and well meant but as it happened, inopportune. The mob now
wanted to hang him and a committee of M.inkato's prominent men went to the
church, called the good old man to the door, explained the situation and advised
him to leave town at once. The grand, kindhearted, old missionary, thanked the
committee, left the meeting, mounted his pony and hurried to his home in St.
Peter. The rest of the Indians connected with the Jewett murder skulked around
the timber of the Blue Earth and the LeSueur for over a week. A squad of sol-
diers came upon them once and a skirmish ensued in which one of the soldiers
was killed A younj.' boy, named Bennett, accidentally met them and was mor-
tally wounded. They eluded all the military, however, but along the Dakota
frontier Maj. Brown had a line of Indian scouts. These discovered the rascal
as they were returning and killed them all. This raid caused the comiuissionen
of Blue Earth county to oiler a reward of Sjoo for every Indian scalp. At tht
suggestion of Major E. 1'. Evans of Garden City, a p,ick of thirteen blood hound:
were bought in the southern stales to track Indi.ins with. They co.-,t $1070 50
but there came no occasion to use them for the Imli.in war was now over.
A FEW REHINISCENCES OF PIONEER DAYS.
BY THOMAS lUGHES.
To illustrate some features of life in a pioneer mansion we will relate two in-
cidents which occurre.l in the Cottonwood Settlement when Hrst settled in 1856.
Rev. Rich. Davis, the pioneer Welsh minister, was wont to no occasionally troni
South l?end to lliis settlement to preach and would be entertained by our hospi-
table friend D. V. Davis. The bed occupied by our minister, like all the beds of
the period, was provided with a canopy of white sheeting, which served the double
purpose of a bed room in the one-roomeil shanty and a protection from mosquitoes
in summer and cold in winter During the niyht a heavy shower of rain came up
and in the morning when our ministerial brother awoke he noticed that the sheet
which formed the root of the canopy sagged down as though something heavy
was in it Kc-v. Davis reached up his hand to feel what was there, when suddenly
one corner of the sheet gave way and about a tub full of water was deposited
squarely on Ins head, giving him such a baptism as would satisfy the strictest des-
ciple of immersion. Trie rain had leaked through the roof and had been caught
by the waterproof sheet. It was not an uncommon sight in those days during a
storm to find the family huddled under the table while the beds and floor were
covered with pans and kettles to catch the drippings from the roof. But the sides
of the cabin were often no better than its roof as our second incident shows.
The first settlers of Horeb neighborhood were gathered one Sunday for a religious
service at the shanty of John Shields. The old pioneer, Rich. Morgan, came
among others and sat on a nail keg against the wall. Rev. Jenkin Jenkins was
preaching very earnestly on the descent of the spirit and Morgan was leaning for-
ward and listening inten'.ly. Right above his head there was a large hole between
the logs where a chink had fallen out. A large fat hen suddenly Hew up into this
hole and after surveying the people for a moment hopped down squarely on Mr.
Morgan's head and stood there poised like a spread eagle on a liberty pole. Either
through interest in the sermon or surprise at the fowl, Morgan sat motionless
with the hen on his head for a few moments. Tlie young folks began to giggle
and even Mr. Jenkins could not refrain from a smile as he remarked that "we
must not imagine that every bird which may alight upon us is a dove " and so
turned the incident to an illustration for his sermon No wonder the snow, the
rain and the mosquitoes found their way into those pioneer cabins, though the
mosquitoes of the period were of the size of geese, as our old friend John Walters
once declared them to be.
It was an easy matter in those early days, before roads had been made, to
lose one's way in the thick tangled forest. It was a cloudy aflrrnoon and begin-
ning to grow dark ..s on.- of lu.Koi, s pioneers pa^-ed a deserted logg..-r's shanty a
little distance from him in the forest. A li-lit snow bad lall.n and our traveler
THE WKLSU IN MINNESOTA.
303
was hurrying to get out of the woods bcfor-i the darkness fully settled down, when
he suddenly came upon tin- footprints o.' a man in the snow, and glad of anything
to guide him followed them. After going some distance he notice<l the footprints
of two persons and again of three and four persons. He kept hurrying on and
the further he went the larger the track grew, but the strange part of the mat-
ter was that our pioneer did not get out of the timber, which he knew was
not over a mile in width. It worried him— could it be that this path led up the
river lengthwise of the timber. He stopped and struck off at right angles to the
path to investigate when, Lo! there stood before him that logger's shanty he had
noticed at nightfall some four or five hours before. He concluded to stay in it the
balance of the night. Ne.\t morning he discovered a few rods distant a well
beaten path encircling the shanty. It was the path he himself had made the
night before.
Rev. Jenkin Jenkins was taking a luad of produce to market along one of
those old time highways, lie had just managed to get around an exceptionally
bad mud hole and was resting his horses on the other side when a stranger drove
up behind and shouted to Mr. Jenkins in a rather rude manner if there was '-good
bottom" to that mud hole. Jenkins eyed him over and answered "Yes." The
immediately sank almost out of sight. He swore and
hy he told him there was good bottom there. "Well, "
is good bottom there, too, but you ain't lialf way
man drove in and his wage
demanded of Mr. Jenkins
answered Jenkins, "then
down to it yet."
When the Indian outbreak o
Welsh settlement a religious enthu
vidence to tlee. for if it had been
would not save him, and if otherw
N
irred there lived in the western part of the
ist, who declared it was doubting Gods prn-
jreordained that he should be killed, flighl
the Lord was sure to care for hira, so he re
fused to leave with the rest. Ne.\t morning early, however, who should his neigh-
bors see at South Bend, but their friend J. On bring asked what made him
change his mind so suddenly, he answered. "Well, I read in the Bible that,
■■where two or three are gathered together, the Lord will be in their midst, but 1
was left uhiw, and there was no assurance that God was there any more."
No roster of the names of the South Bend company mentioned on page 7?
was ever kept. John Zimmerman was captain, Jehile Cheney was first lieutenan
and Miner Porter second lieutenant.
The names of the Welsh members, as near as we can learn, are as follows
THOSE WHO WENT TO
NKW V
LM.
Dackens, Edward.
Davis, David V.
Davis Jr., David P.
Davis, David S.
Davis, Eben V.
Il.ivis, Henry P.
Davis, David T.
Davis, John S.
Edwards Hugh.
Edwards, Hugh H.
Edwards, Ouen.
Edwards, Will.
Evans. D. C.
Jones, John C.
Jones, John S.
Jones, Wm.
Jones, Win. 11.
Jones, Wm. J.
Roberts, Jolin K.
Thom,is, D.ivid
Thomas, Richard
Thomas, Wm. T,
Wigley, Jcshua
Wigley, Richard.
THOSE DET.MLHI) To .,1 \R
) SOUT
1 HEN1>.
Davis. Evan
Evans, David D.
Evans, John D.
Jones, Edward
Jones, Humphrey
Jones, Thcs. J. (/;,■//
,Lhi.s.)
Owens, Geo.
Price, Edu.ard
Price, Row Land W.
I'ritch.ird, K. S.
Pugh, John
Thomas Jr., Edwan
\Villian,s, Kobt. K.
Williams, Win.
304 THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
The names of the Butternut V.illey Gu.inib mi.ntii)ned on pa^e lOo. who en-
listed in the slate militia for thirtv days and were stationed at tlie •'Big Barn" in
Cambria were as follows
GEO. W. PORTER, Captain JAMES MORGAN. First Lieutenant.
WM. P. JONES. Second Lieutenant.
PRIVATES.
Davis, David A. Davis, Thos. Y. Jenkins, Rev. Jenkin.
Jenkins, \Vm. E. Lewis, Morris. Lloyd, Thos. V.
Morris, David. Owens, Geo. Price, David.
Shields, John. Thomas, David. Thomas, Rice.
Thomas, Thos Walters, David. Walters, Stephen.
Williams, H.if^h R. Williams. Wm J.
We wish space had permitted us to give a history of this interesting com-
pany. The fact, however, that such diverse elements as composed that organiza-
tion, were cooped up together for a month is suftkient guaranty of a lively time.
In the first pl.ice there was that momentous question, "What had they enlisted
for," which was new every morning and fresh every evening. Was it to guard
the country from the Indians or was it to cut hay for their stock= In the morning
■'Should they spend the time in military drill or should they devote it to cutting
hay?" In the evening: "Should they rest or stand guard?" Then there were suf-
ficient questions of theology, politics and "who were having' the best rations" to
fill in the time between. It was a jolly crowd. Some s,iy the company did one
good thing, however, they made enough noise to keep the Indians scared away.
One dark night there was a cry of "Indians" and there was silence in the camp
for the space of half a minute, when Rev. Jenkins declared he saw one. and fired
at him. Taking another squint through the port hole he saw another Indian and
fired again, .\fter the reverend gentleman had bl.ized away for halt an hour, it
was discovered that his Indian was a fence post, which stood near the fort.
One day Rev. Jenkins took his oxen and wagon to his home, two miles west
of the fort, after his library and a few things. He had got everything loaded and
was starting back, when he noticed, what he sujiposed to be, two Indians on a knoll
near by watching him. He poundeil the o.\en into a gallop and the Indians came
after him on the run. brandishing their weapons and uttering their war whoops.
It was a mad race for life. Books Hew out of the wagon in every direction until
the land was literally sowed with knowledge, but Jenkins won the race. There
was a great stir in camp when he arrived with his tale of "Indians." A
squad was sent out to reconnoitre. ,\ short distance out tluy met Rice Thomas
and David Walters in a badly winded condition. They had been chasing after
Jenkins to catch a ride.
When Dane's company returned to Mankalo after enlisting at Ft. Snelling in
August, iSOj, just after the Sioux massacre began, they brought with them sealed
orders which, on being opened, directed them to impress all the horses they
needed. The boys at once sallied out for the liveries and hotel barns and streets,
taking all they could find. It happened that afternoon that lion. Thos. M. Fugh
was out driving with his best girl. He had a splendid gray horse and was speed-
ing along Front street in Mankato at a 2.40 gait, when )im Hooser, one of the sol-
diers, saw him and dashing out into the street hailed him. Tom innocently reined
up his nag and Jim began to pat and praise the horse, to which Tom raised no
objection. Before Tom was aware, bowe\er, Jim managed to slip the horse out
of the buggy and the harness, and was oil on his bad; in a twinkling, leading
Tom still holding the lines attached to the empty harness. To say Tom was sur-
prised is putting it much too mild, and no one knows uhat might have happened
if a few of Jims comrades li.id not gone, at his re(iuest, to e\pl.iin toTi^m ami
pull bis buggy to the side of the street.
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THE WELSH IN MX^TKESOTA.
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306 ' THE WELSH IN JIINNESOTA.
AA'TLLTA3IS, I)l{. JOHN I'.nrn at Machynlleth. Montgom-
eryshire, Wales, in lS3i). Son of Lewis and Mary Williams.
Bejran his medical studies under Dr. IIu!,^! Lloyd, of Much-
ynlleth, with whom he spent seven ^-ears. In Ls77 he emi-
grated to America and located in Wisconsin. He took a
course in Rush Medical C(dleL;e, Chicai;'o, from which institu-
tion he graduated in isso. Aui^-ust 2.^, ISSU, at Bany-or. Wis..
he married Miss Sarah il., the yountfest daug-hter of the late
Rev. John Ilui^hes ( JA.v.vv ). He practiced his profession
four years at IJant,'-i'r, then removed to Cashton, Wis., and
ihence tcj Lake tVyslal, .Minn., where he has huilt up a lar!,'-e
practice. ]-)r. and .Mrs. Williams have had two children:
Una M., who died in l.S'»l, and Ldna A.
Key to Illustration of Canihrian Qlee Club.
Ii,.bt. J. ,J,M.rs, .1,. 11. (has. 11
David E. ,luMrs. E.]. W. Willi.ui.s.
Eavi.l E. H.)
FRONT nn
Clias. Evans, William WilJiai
H.H. .J<im>. Cliaili's Davis. D
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